Jenn's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:27:23 -0800 60 Jenn's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Garden Party 13664718 176 Katherine Mansfield 0141389974 Jenn 0 to-read 3.50 1921 The Garden Party
author: Katherine Mansfield
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1921
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Flappers and Philosophers 9458329 672 F. Scott Fitzgerald 0141194103 Jenn 0 to-read, collectable 4.00 2010 Flappers and Philosophers
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: to-read, collectable
review:

]]> The Midnight Feast 199743738 Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin...

It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests� healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule� cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.

THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP

It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at� The Midnight Feast.]]> 354 Lucy Foley 0063003104 Jenn 2
I liked this better than the last Lucy Foley novel that I read, The Paris Apartment, but I felt similarly about it � that the books try create a creepy atmosphere, but then it tries to ride that for an entire half of a book instead of moving the plot along.

I do think this one played out in a more interesting and comprehensible way than her previous offering, and I ended up mostly enjoying the mystery, but it’s a hard book to recommend whole-heartedly since the first half dragged so much for me.

I’d say if you’re a Lucy Foley fan and don’t mind her slow-burn writing style, you will probably enjoy this book. If you’re not and are interested in checking out her work, The Guest List, is probably still her strongest mystery-thriller.]]> 3.55 2024 The Midnight Feast
author: Lucy Foley
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I liked this better than the last Lucy Foley novel that I read, The Paris Apartment, but I felt similarly about it � that the books try create a creepy atmosphere, but then it tries to ride that for an entire half of a book instead of moving the plot along.

I do think this one played out in a more interesting and comprehensible way than her previous offering, and I ended up mostly enjoying the mystery, but it’s a hard book to recommend whole-heartedly since the first half dragged so much for me.

I’d say if you’re a Lucy Foley fan and don’t mind her slow-burn writing style, you will probably enjoy this book. If you’re not and are interested in checking out her work, The Guest List, is probably still her strongest mystery-thriller.
]]> The Perfect Son 52616342
Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until the evening when two detectives show up at her front door.

A high school girl has vanished from Erika's quiet suburban neighborhood. The police suspect the worst--murder. And Erika's teenage son, Liam, was the last person to see the girl alive.

Erika has always sensed something dark and disturbed in her seemingly perfect older child. She wants to believe he's innocent, but as the evidence mounts, she can't deny the truth--Liam may have done the unthinkable.

Now she must ask herself:

How far will she go to protect her son?]]> 373 Freida McFadden Jenn 4
I found this book a little different than the other McFadden mysteries that I’ve read. There’s a little more meat to the story, little less non-stop plot. It also has a more coherent story than just a collection of plot twists, which a few of her books tend to be.

For Freida McFadden fans, this book moves fairly quickly and is definitely still a murder mystery, though it reads a little differently than her other books. In a good way, though. I liked it, I thought it was a nice change.

This is definitely genre novel, a book really only meant for people who read a lot of books in this genre. But it’s a good one for McFadden fans, and for people who like quick and easy mystery thrillers in general.

]]> 4.03 2019 The Perfect Son
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I found this book a little different than the other McFadden mysteries that I’ve read. There’s a little more meat to the story, little less non-stop plot. It also has a more coherent story than just a collection of plot twists, which a few of her books tend to be.

For Freida McFadden fans, this book moves fairly quickly and is definitely still a murder mystery, though it reads a little differently than her other books. In a good way, though. I liked it, I thought it was a nice change.

This is definitely genre novel, a book really only meant for people who read a lot of books in this genre. But it’s a good one for McFadden fans, and for people who like quick and easy mystery thrillers in general.


]]> <![CDATA[The Last Mrs. Parrish (Mrs. Parrish, #1)]]> 34043643
To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.

With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent.]]> 560 Liv Constantine 0062688162 Jenn 3
The Last Mrs. Parrish is a slow burn psychological thriller that has a very good plot twist, but moved a bit too slowly for my liking.

A part of me is curious about the follow-up novel The Next Mrs. Parrish, but I’m not entirely sure whether it’ll make it onto my reading list yet.

]]> 3.93 2017 The Last Mrs. Parrish (Mrs. Parrish, #1)
author: Liv Constantine
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves:
review:
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The Last Mrs. Parrish is a slow burn psychological thriller that has a very good plot twist, but moved a bit too slowly for my liking.

A part of me is curious about the follow-up novel The Next Mrs. Parrish, but I’m not entirely sure whether it’ll make it onto my reading list yet.


]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)]]> 197717652
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes.

But her cold stare gives me chills�

The Lowells� maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?

I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?]]> 383 Freida McFadden 1464221138 Jenn 3 to-read
The Housemaid is Watching is probably only worth reading if you liked the first two books and are eager to revisit the characters from it. I liked the first two books, and so I enjoyed reading this for the most part, so I guess that’s sort of a recommendation, but a very weak one. The book is okay.

It was nice to see how Millie’s story ended. I was less enthralled with it as a mystery or thriller. It helps that, like all of Freida McFadden’s books, it moves pretty quickly so it didn’t feel like a big time sink to find out how things conclude in this story.

To be very clear, this book and this whole series really is only for people who don’t care that much about the quality of writing or plausibility in a mystery-thriller. It’s all about fast plot and entertaining plot twists. If that’s what you’re looking for, you might enjoy this series and this book. If not, definitely look elsewhere.]]> 3.89 2024 The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:
Full review:

The Housemaid is Watching is probably only worth reading if you liked the first two books and are eager to revisit the characters from it. I liked the first two books, and so I enjoyed reading this for the most part, so I guess that’s sort of a recommendation, but a very weak one. The book is okay.

It was nice to see how Millie’s story ended. I was less enthralled with it as a mystery or thriller. It helps that, like all of Freida McFadden’s books, it moves pretty quickly so it didn’t feel like a big time sink to find out how things conclude in this story.

To be very clear, this book and this whole series really is only for people who don’t care that much about the quality of writing or plausibility in a mystery-thriller. It’s all about fast plot and entertaining plot twists. If that’s what you’re looking for, you might enjoy this series and this book. If not, definitely look elsewhere.
]]> Middle of the Night 199026522 In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighborhood.

The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul de sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?

The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed monsters roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate.

The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.]]> 367 Riley Sager 0593472373 Jenn 3
I think the book is perfectly readable and reasonably paced for the most part. The storyline just didn’t particularly interest me, but if the idea of a boy’s disappearance that's tied to some type of mysterious privately-owned research institution sounds intriguing to you, plus delving a little into childhood friendships, maybe you’ll like this book more than I did.

There are some twists and turns at the end, but I thought they were a little underwhelming.

I’ve liked Riley Sager’s mysteries in the past, though this one was a miss for me. I’ll still be looking forward to what he comes up with next!]]> 3.66 2024 Middle of the Night
author: Riley Sager
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I think the book is perfectly readable and reasonably paced for the most part. The storyline just didn’t particularly interest me, but if the idea of a boy’s disappearance that's tied to some type of mysterious privately-owned research institution sounds intriguing to you, plus delving a little into childhood friendships, maybe you’ll like this book more than I did.

There are some twists and turns at the end, but I thought they were a little underwhelming.

I’ve liked Riley Sager’s mysteries in the past, though this one was a miss for me. I’ll still be looking forward to what he comes up with next!
]]> She's Not Sorry 140111148
Meghan Michaels is trying to find balance between being a single mom to a teenage daughter and working as a full time nurse. While on duty at the hospital one day, a patient named Caitlin arrives in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, having jumped from a bridge and plunging over twenty feet to the train tracks below. 

But when a witness comes forward with shocking details about the fall, it calls everything they know into question. Was Caitlin  pushed  and if so, by whom and why? 

Meghan has always tried to stay emotionally detached from her patients, but this time, she mistakenly lets herself get too close until she’s deeply entangled in Caitlin’s and her family’s lives. Only when it’s too late, does she realize that she and her daughter could be the next victims.]]> 330 Mary Kubica 0778308065 Jenn 3
I wasn't a huge fan of Kubica's most well-known book, Local Woman Missing, and I have to say I didn't love She's Not Sorry either. There's a decent plot twist, but the build up is so slow and I was underwhelmed by the conclusion of the book. Sadly, I don't know if I see myself revisiting this author anytime soon. I know she has a certain set of fans, so clearly some people enjoy her books, but there's so many solid mystery-thriller writers nowadays, I just think there's better stuff out there.]]> 3.77 2024 She's Not Sorry
author: Mary Kubica
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/05
date added: 2024/05/05
shelves:
review:
This book takes soooo long to really get started. The first half of the book I really struggled to get through and the second half gets somewhat more interesting, but it takes a really long time to get there. But then the ending was a letdown.

I wasn't a huge fan of Kubica's most well-known book, Local Woman Missing, and I have to say I didn't love She's Not Sorry either. There's a decent plot twist, but the build up is so slow and I was underwhelmed by the conclusion of the book. Sadly, I don't know if I see myself revisiting this author anytime soon. I know she has a certain set of fans, so clearly some people enjoy her books, but there's so many solid mystery-thriller writers nowadays, I just think there's better stuff out there.
]]> The Seven Year Slip 199834495
So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.]]> 336 Ashley Poston 059333650X Jenn 4
If you’re looking for a book that’s fun and has a classic rom-com-type feel, the Seven Year Slips serves it up in a bright, time-traveling package. It’s a little predictable in the way that rom-coms can be fairly predictable, but it’s also enjoyable and delivers on its entertaining and slightly magical premise.

I’d easily recommend this book to anyone looking for some rom-com goodness.]]> 4.24 2023 The Seven Year Slip
author: Ashley Poston
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/24
date added: 2024/04/24
shelves:
review:
Full review:

If you’re looking for a book that’s fun and has a classic rom-com-type feel, the Seven Year Slips serves it up in a bright, time-traveling package. It’s a little predictable in the way that rom-coms can be fairly predictable, but it’s also enjoyable and delivers on its entertaining and slightly magical premise.

I’d easily recommend this book to anyone looking for some rom-com goodness.
]]> Darling Girls 127280429 SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.]]> 359 Sally Hepworth 125028452X Jenn 4
Darling Girls is a slow burn of a story as the horrors of Wild Meadows unfold. It’s also depicts three very different girls and the ways they were affected by their upbringings, their time in the foster system and their experiences with Miss Fairchild.

Hepworth’s newest psychological thriller is engrossing and well-written. I’ve only read one other book by Sally Hepworth, The Good Sister, and I’m reminded of how Hepworth also managed to intertwine a legitimately interesting and thought out story into that mystery as well.

Darling Girls is less twisty than some mystery-thriller novels you’ll find on the shelves, but some of those novels end up feeling like just a collection of plot twists wrapped up in some semblance of a premise. Here, Hepworth has written a solid story that stands on its own and draws you in slowly, with a few twists at the very end.

If you like slow burn mystery thriller novels, Sally Hepworth’s newest book has a lot to offer. I thought the premise was compelling. The mystery itself and twists aren’t too terribly surprising, but I continued to be interested to see where the story was going.

I’d say this wasn’t amazing, but it was an above average mystery thriller and one I’m sure plenty of mystery-thriller fans would enjoy, especially if you don’t mind a slow burn.]]> 3.98 2024 Darling Girls
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/23
date added: 2024/04/23
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Darling Girls is a slow burn of a story as the horrors of Wild Meadows unfold. It’s also depicts three very different girls and the ways they were affected by their upbringings, their time in the foster system and their experiences with Miss Fairchild.

Hepworth’s newest psychological thriller is engrossing and well-written. I’ve only read one other book by Sally Hepworth, The Good Sister, and I’m reminded of how Hepworth also managed to intertwine a legitimately interesting and thought out story into that mystery as well.

Darling Girls is less twisty than some mystery-thriller novels you’ll find on the shelves, but some of those novels end up feeling like just a collection of plot twists wrapped up in some semblance of a premise. Here, Hepworth has written a solid story that stands on its own and draws you in slowly, with a few twists at the very end.

If you like slow burn mystery thriller novels, Sally Hepworth’s newest book has a lot to offer. I thought the premise was compelling. The mystery itself and twists aren’t too terribly surprising, but I continued to be interested to see where the story was going.

I’d say this wasn’t amazing, but it was an above average mystery thriller and one I’m sure plenty of mystery-thriller fans would enjoy, especially if you don’t mind a slow burn.
]]> <![CDATA[Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2)]]> 61918816 A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin�-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass� scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,â€� and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t refuse.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 1538704390 Jenn 4
I thought this was really cute.

It’s a sweet, upbeat romance about two people being there for each other and figuring out how to accommodate one another and how to show up for each other based on their respective needs, personalities and experiences. The story also deals with each of their relationship fears and explores how it affects them and they overcome those fears.

There are a few cliched aspects of the story � it’s a hardcore fake relationship story � but it’s such a tender, warm-hearted and cute romance, I think you’d have to be a little dead inside not to want to cheer for this couple.]]> 4.29 2023 Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2024/04/22
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I thought this was really cute.

It’s a sweet, upbeat romance about two people being there for each other and figuring out how to accommodate one another and how to show up for each other based on their respective needs, personalities and experiences. The story also deals with each of their relationship fears and explores how it affects them and they overcome those fears.

There are a few cliched aspects of the story � it’s a hardcore fake relationship story � but it’s such a tender, warm-hearted and cute romance, I think you’d have to be a little dead inside not to want to cheer for this couple.
]]> The Coworker 123423832 Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back.

Dawn Schiff is strange. At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.

So when Dawn doesn't show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell—beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running—is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything�

It turns out Dawn wasn't just an awkward outsider—she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who's the real victim?

But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.

The Coworker is a tense, unputdownable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden that explores the dark ways the past can echo through the present―with deadly consequences.]]> 362 Freida McFadden 172829620X Jenn 3
This was the only Freida McFadden mystery-thriller where I managed to mostly guess what the big plot twist was going to be, but I still enjoyed the book. I thought the storyline was good. The ending is a little dark. This book is a little less twisty than some of McFadden’s other offerings, but it’s still a fast and fun read.

The Coworker is one of Freida McFadden’s lower-rated books, I think probably because it’s less twisty and the big plot twist is less of a huge surprise since she drops some pretty big hints. But I still liked it. Probably one to read after you’ve run through some of her other stuff, but still worth a read if you’re looking for some quick and easy mystery-thriller fodder.]]> 3.68 2023 The Coworker
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/17
date added: 2024/04/17
shelves:
review:
Full review:

This was the only Freida McFadden mystery-thriller where I managed to mostly guess what the big plot twist was going to be, but I still enjoyed the book. I thought the storyline was good. The ending is a little dark. This book is a little less twisty than some of McFadden’s other offerings, but it’s still a fast and fun read.

The Coworker is one of Freida McFadden’s lower-rated books, I think probably because it’s less twisty and the big plot twist is less of a huge surprise since she drops some pretty big hints. But I still liked it. Probably one to read after you’ve run through some of her other stuff, but still worth a read if you’re looking for some quick and easy mystery-thriller fodder.
]]> <![CDATA[Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3)]]> 195820807
Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?]]> 432 Abby Jimenez 1538704439 Jenn 4
Just for the Summer is a bright, fun, sweep-you-off-your feet romance with adorable dates and sweet moments. Our protagonists also tackle some big, real issues between them in a way that feels authentic and meaningful, but without making the book too heavy. This is my first time reading a book by Abby Jimenez, and she’s an author I’d happily revisit.

It’s just a sweet and substantive romance about two people who like each other who are trying to make it work despite the complications in their lives and whatever personal stuff they have to work through. It’s also a leisurely and easy read, definitely good beach read material.

Very easy to recommend this book for anyone looking for a delightful summer romance.]]> 4.35 2024 Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/14
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Just for the Summer is a bright, fun, sweep-you-off-your feet romance with adorable dates and sweet moments. Our protagonists also tackle some big, real issues between them in a way that feels authentic and meaningful, but without making the book too heavy. This is my first time reading a book by Abby Jimenez, and she’s an author I’d happily revisit.

It’s just a sweet and substantive romance about two people who like each other who are trying to make it work despite the complications in their lives and whatever personal stuff they have to work through. It’s also a leisurely and easy read, definitely good beach read material.

Very easy to recommend this book for anyone looking for a delightful summer romance.
]]> <![CDATA[Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)]]> 140303 420 Agatha Christie 0425200469 Jenn 5 3.93 1937 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves:
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]]> The Familiar 133286777 From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 387 Leigh Bardugo 125088425X Jenn 4
This is probably more of a 3.5 for me, but I rounded up.

The Familiar is a captivating and intriguing story. There are dark secrets, seers, fraudsters, and it loops in bits of Spanish history and cloaks itself in a mixture of magic and political maneuvering. The story itself is a little more simplistic than I was expecting given all the moving parts, but it still makes for an entertaining read.

No doubt Leigh Bargudo fans will be pleased with this offering, especially since there is of course a substantial romantic storyline that runs throughout the book.

I think for anyone else, if the premise sounds interesting to you, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it. I wasn’t wowed by it, but I thought it was a engrossing story to sink into for a while.]]> 3.74 2024 The Familiar
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/12
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves:
review:
Full review:

This is probably more of a 3.5 for me, but I rounded up.

The Familiar is a captivating and intriguing story. There are dark secrets, seers, fraudsters, and it loops in bits of Spanish history and cloaks itself in a mixture of magic and political maneuvering. The story itself is a little more simplistic than I was expecting given all the moving parts, but it still makes for an entertaining read.

No doubt Leigh Bargudo fans will be pleased with this offering, especially since there is of course a substantial romantic storyline that runs throughout the book.

I think for anyone else, if the premise sounds interesting to you, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it. I wasn’t wowed by it, but I thought it was a engrossing story to sink into for a while.
]]> James 173754979 A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780385550369.]]> 303 Percival Everett Jenn 5
James is a book that packs a punch. Everett retains a lot of the sense of the adventure from Jim and Huck’s tale of traveling down the Mississippi while incorporating a lot of cutting commentary and very bold plot choices. This is a decidedly heavier novel, despite its quick pace and short length, but there’s an effortlessness to Everett’s writing that makes it a frictionless read.

It’s undoubtably a literary fiction title for when you’re in the mood for something serious and somewhat academic, but not unaccessible. I imagine this book will find itself in many classrooms to be read alongside or replacing the book it retells.

If you do find yourself in the mood for it, it’s a sharply written, powerful, emotional, fine read. I love when I read a book that I can recommend without reservations, and this is one of them.]]> 4.47 2024 James
author: Percival Everett
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/10
date added: 2024/04/10
shelves:
review:
Full review:

James is a book that packs a punch. Everett retains a lot of the sense of the adventure from Jim and Huck’s tale of traveling down the Mississippi while incorporating a lot of cutting commentary and very bold plot choices. This is a decidedly heavier novel, despite its quick pace and short length, but there’s an effortlessness to Everett’s writing that makes it a frictionless read.

It’s undoubtably a literary fiction title for when you’re in the mood for something serious and somewhat academic, but not unaccessible. I imagine this book will find itself in many classrooms to be read alongside or replacing the book it retells.

If you do find yourself in the mood for it, it’s a sharply written, powerful, emotional, fine read. I love when I read a book that I can recommend without reservations, and this is one of them.
]]> The Inmate 61149872 1) Treat all prisoners with respect.
2) Never reveal any personal information.
3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart―the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows. And he will never forget.]]> 388 Freida McFadden Jenn 3
The Inmate is about as bare-bones as it gets if you just want something that’s all plot and plot twists. This is definitely a book only for people who read a bunch of mystery-thrillers, as the writing is pretty questionable, as is the plausibility of basically everything.

Add to that a weak premise and less compelling story, it’s definitely in the B-tier of McFadden’s thrillers that I’ve read. That said, the ending is a little all over the place, but has a lot of reveals which some people will enjoy. It’s a little zany, but there are definitely those who will get a kick out of it, I think.

For most people, this book is probably a skip. But if you’re out of stuff to read and you’re just looking for something that’ll go by really, really fast with some zany surprises in store, then this’ll do it.]]> 4.03 2022 The Inmate
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/10
date added: 2024/04/10
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The Inmate is about as bare-bones as it gets if you just want something that’s all plot and plot twists. This is definitely a book only for people who read a bunch of mystery-thrillers, as the writing is pretty questionable, as is the plausibility of basically everything.

Add to that a weak premise and less compelling story, it’s definitely in the B-tier of McFadden’s thrillers that I’ve read. That said, the ending is a little all over the place, but has a lot of reveals which some people will enjoy. It’s a little zany, but there are definitely those who will get a kick out of it, I think.

For most people, this book is probably a skip. But if you’re out of stuff to read and you’re just looking for something that’ll go by really, really fast with some zany surprises in store, then this’ll do it.
]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Jenn 3
The narrative is a little all over the place and probably could've been edited more, but overall still enjoying this story and where it's going. Will be reading the next one for sure.]]> 4.34 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/07
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves:
review:
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The narrative is a little all over the place and probably could've been edited more, but overall still enjoying this story and where it's going. Will be reading the next one for sure.
]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry Jenn 5
The basic setup is that our protagonist, Daphne, has been dumped by her fiancé, Peter. The day after his bachelor party, Peter tells Daphne that he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Petra is also leaving her boyfriend, Miles, and she’s moving in with Peter instead. Heartbroken and soon-to-be homeless, Daphne eagerly accepts Miles’s offer to move in to his place, and for various reasons they end up pretending to be a couple in order to make Petra and Peter jealous.

Despite the somewhat gimmicky premise, the actual story is quite sincere and written with a lot of heart, humor and charm. Funny Story is essentially a book about picking yourself back up and reclaiming your identity after a serious breakup � and maybe also meeting someone new in the process.

Funny Story is pretty good as a romance, but really shines as a post-breakup book and a book about relationships in general. I think there’s probably swoonier romances out there, but this one is great at really examining the emotions that people go through after a serious relationship ends and the process of putting yourself back together and reclaiming your identity. It’s thoughtful, but entertaining.

I think if that interests you, then this is a really heartfelt and sweet way to tell that story with some fun and hopeful romance in between.]]> 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/18
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The basic setup is that our protagonist, Daphne, has been dumped by her fiancé, Peter. The day after his bachelor party, Peter tells Daphne that he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Petra is also leaving her boyfriend, Miles, and she’s moving in with Peter instead. Heartbroken and soon-to-be homeless, Daphne eagerly accepts Miles’s offer to move in to his place, and for various reasons they end up pretending to be a couple in order to make Petra and Peter jealous.

Despite the somewhat gimmicky premise, the actual story is quite sincere and written with a lot of heart, humor and charm. Funny Story is essentially a book about picking yourself back up and reclaiming your identity after a serious breakup � and maybe also meeting someone new in the process.

Funny Story is pretty good as a romance, but really shines as a post-breakup book and a book about relationships in general. I think there’s probably swoonier romances out there, but this one is great at really examining the emotions that people go through after a serious relationship ends and the process of putting yourself back together and reclaiming your identity. It’s thoughtful, but entertaining.

I think if that interests you, then this is a really heartfelt and sweet way to tell that story with some fun and hopeful romance in between.
]]> Tom Lake 63241104 In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America’s finest writers.

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.]]> 309 Ann Patchett 006332752X Jenn 3
Patchett’s capable and insightful writing as well as Meryl Streep’s fantastic narration carried me through large swaths of this book, but to be totally honest there were a few stretches where I got a little bored reading this low-stakes story. Especially when the romance with Peter Duke hits its stride, my mind kept wandering off.

There are a few mildly unexpected things mixed in there, but overall there just wasn’t always enough drama or real tension in the book to propel the story forward. I think if you’re looking for a quaint and unassuming story, this might still appeal to you, but I think I was hoping for something a little more.

Oh, one last thing is that I found the last chapter and essentially the ending of the book to be extremely bizarre. I kind of hated it. It doesn’t really change anything, so it doesn’t matter, but it felt totally out of place to me. It seemed like Patchett was searching for some way to end the story and landed on � whatever that was.]]> 3.92 2023 Tom Lake
author: Ann Patchett
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/27
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Patchett’s capable and insightful writing as well as Meryl Streep’s fantastic narration carried me through large swaths of this book, but to be totally honest there were a few stretches where I got a little bored reading this low-stakes story. Especially when the romance with Peter Duke hits its stride, my mind kept wandering off.

There are a few mildly unexpected things mixed in there, but overall there just wasn’t always enough drama or real tension in the book to propel the story forward. I think if you’re looking for a quaint and unassuming story, this might still appeal to you, but I think I was hoping for something a little more.

Oh, one last thing is that I found the last chapter and essentially the ending of the book to be extremely bizarre. I kind of hated it. It doesn’t really change anything, so it doesn’t matter, but it felt totally out of place to me. It seemed like Patchett was searching for some way to end the story and landed on � whatever that was.
]]> The Heiress 126919284
But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.]]> 294 Rachel Hawkins 1250280036 Jenn 3
A ended up with lukewarm feelings about this book. Nothing horribly wrong about it and actually kind of a pleasant read, but there wasn't much tension or suspense in the story. It kind of had the vibe of a family drama, but didn't have enough emotion depth or interpersonal insight to succeed as that type of book.

Instead, the story basically made sense and worked, but the plot twists and revelations were just okay, a little ho-hum.

Like I said, not a bad book, but hard to recommend to others just cause I think there's better stuff out there. ]]> 3.80 2024 The Heiress
author: Rachel Hawkins
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/24
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves:
review:
Full review:

A ended up with lukewarm feelings about this book. Nothing horribly wrong about it and actually kind of a pleasant read, but there wasn't much tension or suspense in the story. It kind of had the vibe of a family drama, but didn't have enough emotion depth or interpersonal insight to succeed as that type of book.

Instead, the story basically made sense and worked, but the plot twists and revelations were just okay, a little ho-hum.

Like I said, not a bad book, but hard to recommend to others just cause I think there's better stuff out there.
]]> The Fury 123206645 A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder � from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.

This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time � it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse � a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.]]> 298 Alex Michaelides 125075898X Jenn 3
As I was reading this, I could tell how hard Michaelides tried to make his layered five-act book work, and I wanted very badly to enjoy this book more than I did.

But the story and these characters really weren’t compelling enough to withstand all these layers of complexity. At some point the book became complexity for complexity’s sake and the thin storyline breaks down under its weight.

Every time I read a novel from Alex Michaelides, I end up feeling like the book is imperfect in different ways but there’s hints of cleverness that are so satisfying that it really makes it worth it to me. I felt the same way about this book, and I am still glad I read it. I just wanted for the sake of the effort that clearly went into this for the story to be more enjoyable than it was.]]> 3.34 2024 The Fury
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/23
date added: 2024/03/23
shelves:
review:
Full review:

As I was reading this, I could tell how hard Michaelides tried to make his layered five-act book work, and I wanted very badly to enjoy this book more than I did.

But the story and these characters really weren’t compelling enough to withstand all these layers of complexity. At some point the book became complexity for complexity’s sake and the thin storyline breaks down under its weight.

Every time I read a novel from Alex Michaelides, I end up feeling like the book is imperfect in different ways but there’s hints of cleverness that are so satisfying that it really makes it worth it to me. I felt the same way about this book, and I am still glad I read it. I just wanted for the sake of the effort that clearly went into this for the story to be more enjoyable than it was.
]]> Remarkably Bright Creatures 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Jenn 5
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a quick read, but I would have been happy to spend more time with these characters, listening to this story.

If you’re looking for a feel-good, life-affirming read, this one is a pretty sure bet, and an easy book to recommend. I think this would be a wonderful book club pick if your group is in the mood for something light and bright.]]> 4.35 2022 Remarkably Bright Creatures
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/21
date added: 2024/03/21
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a quick read, but I would have been happy to spend more time with these characters, listening to this story.

If you’re looking for a feel-good, life-affirming read, this one is a pretty sure bet, and an easy book to recommend. I think this would be a wonderful book club pick if your group is in the mood for something light and bright.
]]> Never Lie 62080187
But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate� with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.

In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.

Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.

And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.

The one that reveals the entire horrifying truth.]]> 286 Freida McFadden Jenn 3
Not my favorite McFadden mystery-thriller. I loved the premise and had high hopes for this book, but the story unravels a bit and requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief to enjoy.

I still liked it and it's a very fast read, I just wish the actions of some of the characters were a little more reasonable.]]> 4.09 2022 Never Lie
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/20
date added: 2024/03/20
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

Not my favorite McFadden mystery-thriller. I loved the premise and had high hopes for this book, but the story unravels a bit and requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief to enjoy.

I still liked it and it's a very fast read, I just wish the actions of some of the characters were a little more reasonable.
]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 665 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Jenn 4
Honestly pretty entertaining. The writing is whatever, but the storyline is fun. I found the setup of the political situation that of this world to be intriguing and found myself pretty curious about what happens next.

There's definitely a lot of repeated tropes in here and familiar aspects of the story. I also thought some of the rules around various aspects of the world didn't feel entirely thought out but if you're not trying too hard to dissect it and to just let yourself enjoy the story, I think it makes for an exciting and fun read.]]> 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/17
date added: 2024/03/17
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Honestly pretty entertaining. The writing is whatever, but the storyline is fun. I found the setup of the political situation that of this world to be intriguing and found myself pretty curious about what happens next.

There's definitely a lot of repeated tropes in here and familiar aspects of the story. I also thought some of the rules around various aspects of the world didn't feel entirely thought out but if you're not trying too hard to dissect it and to just let yourself enjoy the story, I think it makes for an exciting and fun read.
]]> Murder Road 196614815 A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.

July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to be a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.

When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.]]> 341 Simone St. James 0593200381 Jenn 4
I'm giving this a 4, but this is probably more of a 3.5-4 for me.

Murder Road is unabashedly a supernatural thriller, and I imagine a lot of people will be wanting to read it come October for precisely that reason. The parts about the actual mystery are compelling and well-paced. The book delivers on creating a ghostly investigation into a string of unsolved crimes, dropping tantalizing clues and gripping developments along the way.

Sadly, the characters morosely bemoaning their sad backstories and obsessing over revealing them to one another dampened my enthusiasm for the story somewhat. I found learning more about the characters to be more irritating than intriguing. The ending also fizzles out a little.

So, I ended up with some mixed feelings about this book, but overall a worthwhile read if you're in the mood for a good old fashioned ghost story.]]> 3.67 2024 Murder Road
author: Simone St. James
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/14
date added: 2024/03/14
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I'm giving this a 4, but this is probably more of a 3.5-4 for me.

Murder Road is unabashedly a supernatural thriller, and I imagine a lot of people will be wanting to read it come October for precisely that reason. The parts about the actual mystery are compelling and well-paced. The book delivers on creating a ghostly investigation into a string of unsolved crimes, dropping tantalizing clues and gripping developments along the way.

Sadly, the characters morosely bemoaning their sad backstories and obsessing over revealing them to one another dampened my enthusiasm for the story somewhat. I found learning more about the characters to be more irritating than intriguing. The ending also fizzles out a little.

So, I ended up with some mixed feelings about this book, but overall a worthwhile read if you're in the mood for a good old fashioned ghost story.
]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)]]> 62848145 As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can't risk losing this job � not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . .

It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything...

That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go...]]> 318 Freida McFadden 1837901317 Jenn 4
Not quite as good as the first book, but still a fun twisty ride. Would definitely recommend reading the first book first, both for context but also because it's better. ]]> 4.22 2023 The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/13
date added: 2024/03/13
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Not quite as good as the first book, but still a fun twisty ride. Would definitely recommend reading the first book first, both for context but also because it's better.
]]> The Hunter (Cal Hooper, #2) 174156145
Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or he’s built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he’s gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey’s long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge.

A nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.]]> 467 Tana French 0593493435 Jenn 4
Tense and atmospheric, The Hunter is a slow burn crime novel about a man who returns to his small mountainside Irish village with a get-rich-quick-scheme. It's a quiet, meditative character driven story focusing on small town interpersonal dynamics about familial bonds, vengeance and sacrifice. ]]> 3.96 2024 The Hunter (Cal Hooper, #2)
author: Tana French
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/10
date added: 2024/03/10
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

Tense and atmospheric, The Hunter is a slow burn crime novel about a man who returns to his small mountainside Irish village with a get-rich-quick-scheme. It's a quiet, meditative character driven story focusing on small town interpersonal dynamics about familial bonds, vengeance and sacrifice.
]]> The Summer Pact 195888459 In the wake of tragedy, a group of friends make a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark upon a life-changing adventure together—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meant to Be.

Four freshmen arrive at college from completely different worlds: Lainey, a California party girl with a flair for drama; Tyson, a brilliant scholar and law school hopeful from D.C.; Summer, a recruited athlete and perfectionist from the Midwest; and Hannah, a mild-mannered southerner who is content to quietly round out the circle of big personalities. Soon after moving into their shared dorm, they strike up a conversation in a study lounge, and the seeds of friendship are planted.

As their college years fly by, their bond intensifies and the four become inseparable. But as graduation nears, their lives are forever changed after a desperate act leads to tragic consequences. Stunned and heartbroken, a pact is made to be there for each other in their time of need, no matter how separated they are by circumstances or distance.

Ten years later, Hannah is anticipating what should be one of the happiest moments of her life when everything is suddenly turned upside down. Calling on her closest friends, it soon becomes clear that they are facing their own crossroads. True to their promise, they agree to take a time out from lives headed in wrong directions and embark on a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

In this tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope, Emily Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides to help pick up the pieces?]]> 352 Emily Giffin 0593600290 Jenn 0 to-read 3.27 2024 The Summer Pact
author: Emily Giffin
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Listen for the Lie 127279000 What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.

It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie and its too-good looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one who did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.]]> 352 Amy Tintera 1250880319 Jenn 5
I was between a 4 and a 5 but decided to round up. It's a fun mystery that is, shockingly, even a little romantic and funny. It still has all the twists, turns and atmosphere of a murder mystery, it just manages to still add in a little extra spice.

The mystery at the core is pretty standard but it's the tone and the humor that I really enjoyed. Not all murder mysteries have to be so depressing!]]> 4.07 2024 Listen for the Lie
author: Amy Tintera
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/06
date added: 2024/03/06
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I was between a 4 and a 5 but decided to round up. It's a fun mystery that is, shockingly, even a little romantic and funny. It still has all the twists, turns and atmosphere of a murder mystery, it just manages to still add in a little extra spice.

The mystery at the core is pretty standard but it's the tone and the humor that I really enjoyed. Not all murder mysteries have to be so depressing!
]]> One Perfect Couple 199798953 Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension and ingenious thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them.

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.

But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.

A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.]]> 385 Ruth Ware 1668025590 Jenn 5 to-read
I was between a 4 or a 5, but I decided to round up since it's a fun book and why not.

One Perfect Couple is more survival thriller than psychological thriller. And it's not a murder mystery. I'll repeat that for emphasis. This book really isn't a murder mystery.

There's a hint of that in there, but what it really is, is a survival thriller -- with a twist or two of course. But the plot is more straightforward and the book overall is less twisty and complex.

But straightforward definitely does not mean boring, and there's plenty of excitement and wondering what might happen in this book. A lot of that is a testament to Ware doing a great job of foreshadowing just enough and planting little hints of something "off" so you know there's more in store. You can really feel her experience as a writer and her keen understanding of how to create tension and suspense, even outside of a standard mystery context.

I think as long as you know it's a survival thriller slash psychological thriller and that sounds good to you, this is easy to recommend. It's fun and fast and exciting ride. I suppose there is a twist or two in One Perfect Couple. They add a little spice, but it's not the reason to read this book.

Ultimately, I think you really have to be down for some survival thriller action if you're going to like it. I was into it, and I liked the book.]]> 3.60 2024 One Perfect Couple
author: Ruth Ware
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/05
date added: 2024/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:
Full review:

I was between a 4 or a 5, but I decided to round up since it's a fun book and why not.

One Perfect Couple is more survival thriller than psychological thriller. And it's not a murder mystery. I'll repeat that for emphasis. This book really isn't a murder mystery.

There's a hint of that in there, but what it really is, is a survival thriller -- with a twist or two of course. But the plot is more straightforward and the book overall is less twisty and complex.

But straightforward definitely does not mean boring, and there's plenty of excitement and wondering what might happen in this book. A lot of that is a testament to Ware doing a great job of foreshadowing just enough and planting little hints of something "off" so you know there's more in store. You can really feel her experience as a writer and her keen understanding of how to create tension and suspense, even outside of a standard mystery context.

I think as long as you know it's a survival thriller slash psychological thriller and that sounds good to you, this is easy to recommend. It's fun and fast and exciting ride. I suppose there is a twist or two in One Perfect Couple. They add a little spice, but it's not the reason to read this book.

Ultimately, I think you really have to be down for some survival thriller action if you're going to like it. I was into it, and I liked the book.
]]> Happy Place 61718053
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t stand to break their friendsâ€� hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one weekâ€� in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0593441273 Jenn 4
I was on the fence about giving this a 5 because I actually think it has a lot of substance. I just think people going into are expecting a different type of book based on it's marketing so I can understand if people are less enthusiastic about it.

Despite it’s title, Happy Place is, interestingly enough, actually the least upbeat of Emily Henry’s romances so far.

The crux of the story involves a couple, Harriet and Wyn, whose engagement has broken up. They haven’t told their group of close-knit college friends yet, but they’re brought together for a week-long getaway after spending some months apart. They feel compelled to stay there and stay quiet about their breakup when they learn that a small wedding is taking place at the end of the week, and that the bride is already wrestling with trying to believe in everlasting love.

There’s a dull ache that permeates through much of the book. Even as the story retraces their romantic history, even the happy moments feel a little sad, knowing what’s to come for the couple. As with her other books, I like that Emily Henry’s novels generally have fun, romantic, summery premises, but that she approaches them with a certain consideration and sincerity that elevates the story. I think this novel is well done, like the rest of her romances. But it definitely struck a different tone for me than the others.

Of course, this is a second-chance romance novel, so it’s not all just heartbreak and disappointment. But there is something different and fragile about a second-chance romance compared to something new, shiny and exciting. There’s a heaviness to their stolen moments, as opposed to the weightlessness of a new romance.

If you like Emily Henry’s novels and are down with the premise, it’s as solid a novel as the rest of her books. I think as long as you know what you’re getting into, it’s well worth a read. I am glad I read it, and in many ways it’s a more worthwhile read in terms of substance than some of her other books.]]> 3.95 2023 Happy Place
author: Emily Henry
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/03
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I was on the fence about giving this a 5 because I actually think it has a lot of substance. I just think people going into are expecting a different type of book based on it's marketing so I can understand if people are less enthusiastic about it.

Despite it’s title, Happy Place is, interestingly enough, actually the least upbeat of Emily Henry’s romances so far.

The crux of the story involves a couple, Harriet and Wyn, whose engagement has broken up. They haven’t told their group of close-knit college friends yet, but they’re brought together for a week-long getaway after spending some months apart. They feel compelled to stay there and stay quiet about their breakup when they learn that a small wedding is taking place at the end of the week, and that the bride is already wrestling with trying to believe in everlasting love.

There’s a dull ache that permeates through much of the book. Even as the story retraces their romantic history, even the happy moments feel a little sad, knowing what’s to come for the couple. As with her other books, I like that Emily Henry’s novels generally have fun, romantic, summery premises, but that she approaches them with a certain consideration and sincerity that elevates the story. I think this novel is well done, like the rest of her romances. But it definitely struck a different tone for me than the others.

Of course, this is a second-chance romance novel, so it’s not all just heartbreak and disappointment. But there is something different and fragile about a second-chance romance compared to something new, shiny and exciting. There’s a heaviness to their stolen moments, as opposed to the weightlessness of a new romance.

If you like Emily Henry’s novels and are down with the premise, it’s as solid a novel as the rest of her books. I think as long as you know what you’re getting into, it’s well worth a read. I am glad I read it, and in many ways it’s a more worthwhile read in terms of substance than some of her other books.
]]> Book Lovers 58690308 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 377 Emily Henry 0593334833 Jenn 4
This book is easy to read and easy to recommend. It’s exactly what you’d expect from reading the description of it, and it doesn’t disappoint. I think the worst thing you could say about Book Lovers is that it is somewhat of a safe and unchallenging story, but I imagine if you’re looking for a cheery rom-com type story, that’s probably not a deal-breaker for you.]]> 4.09 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/22
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves:
review:
Full review:

This book is easy to read and easy to recommend. It’s exactly what you’d expect from reading the description of it, and it doesn’t disappoint. I think the worst thing you could say about Book Lovers is that it is somewhat of a safe and unchallenging story, but I imagine if you’re looking for a cheery rom-com type story, that’s probably not a deal-breaker for you.
]]> Bride (Bride, #1) 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was�.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood Jenn 4
To be honest, this was not my cup of tea. I wanted to give this a shot because I liked the other Ali Hazelwood book I read, but paranormal romance is not for me. I'm giving this 4 stars though because I don't think it's fair to rate it poorly just because I chose to read a book that wasn't to my taste.

There is more world-building and stuff than I was expecting going into it and I think she does a good job with it. Also, the tone, the wit and the romance is still there. But ultimately, paranormal romance is another beast (get it? get it??) that not everyone is going to be into, but if you’re into it, definitely consider giving Bride a read.

I liked many parts of this more than I thought I would and it really is often genuinely funny, but I ultimately struggled through some parts, partially because the mystery aspects I think could’ve been structured in a more compelling way.

Still, I think Ali Hazelwood has offered up a quippy, fun and funny, swoony romance set in a well developed and politically complex world for fans of paranormal romance.]]> 3.98 2024 Bride (Bride, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves:
review:
Full review:

To be honest, this was not my cup of tea. I wanted to give this a shot because I liked the other Ali Hazelwood book I read, but paranormal romance is not for me. I'm giving this 4 stars though because I don't think it's fair to rate it poorly just because I chose to read a book that wasn't to my taste.

There is more world-building and stuff than I was expecting going into it and I think she does a good job with it. Also, the tone, the wit and the romance is still there. But ultimately, paranormal romance is another beast (get it? get it??) that not everyone is going to be into, but if you’re into it, definitely consider giving Bride a read.

I liked many parts of this more than I thought I would and it really is often genuinely funny, but I ultimately struggled through some parts, partially because the mystery aspects I think could’ve been structured in a more compelling way.

Still, I think Ali Hazelwood has offered up a quippy, fun and funny, swoony romance set in a well developed and politically complex world for fans of paranormal romance.
]]> Bear 196056205 A mesmerising novel of two sisters on a Pacific Northwest island whose lives are upended by an unexpected visitor � a tale of family, obsession, and a mysterious creature in the woods, by the celebrated, bestselling author of Disappearing Earth.

They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.

Sam and her sister, Elena, dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works long days on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the plan to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us � and within us � Bear is a propulsive, mythical, rich novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.]]> 304 Julia Phillips 0525520430 Jenn 0 to-read 3.22 2024 Bear
author: Julia Phillips
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.22
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)]]> 60556912
Every day I clean the Winchesters� beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out� and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of�

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!]]> 329 Freida McFadden 1803144378 Jenn 4
Really quick page-turner with some fun twists. A little forgettable at times but I loved the Epilogue and that's probably what I'll remember about it.

The Housemaid is an extremely fast read, partially because the book itself is on the shorter side and also because the chapters are short and to the point. So, this would be a great book to read if you’re trying to dig yourself out of a reading slump. The plot is uncomplicated, but has enough drama and twists to keep things interesting.
]]> 4.31 2022 The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/02/29
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

Really quick page-turner with some fun twists. A little forgettable at times but I loved the Epilogue and that's probably what I'll remember about it.

The Housemaid is an extremely fast read, partially because the book itself is on the shorter side and also because the chapters are short and to the point. So, this would be a great book to read if you’re trying to dig yourself out of a reading slump. The plot is uncomplicated, but has enough drama and twists to keep things interesting.

]]> <![CDATA[The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store]]> 65678550
Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which served the neighborhood's quirky collection of blacks and European immigrants, helped by her husband, Moshe, a Romanian-born theater owner who integrated the town's first dance hall. When the state came looking for a deaf black child, claiming that the boy needed to be institutionalized, Chicken Hill's residents—roused by Chona's kindess and the courage of a local black worker named Nate Timblin—banded together to keep the boy safe.

As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear how much the people of Chicken Hill have to struggle to survive at the margins of white Christian America and how damaging bigotry, hypocrisy, and deceit can be to a community. When the truth is revealed about the skeleton, the boy, and the part the town’s establishment played in both, McBride shows that it is love and community—heaven and earth—that ultimately sustain us.]]> 385 James McBride 0593422945 Jenn 5
I liked this book a lot.

James McBride's The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store opens with the discovery of a skeleton in a well in a small town. This introduction to the Chicken Hill area of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, sets up a sense of mystery as the narrative jumps back nearly 50 years to explore the town, its secrets and its people.

Chicken Hill is a vibrant community of immigrants, Jewish and black people, resulting in a mix of characters with intertwined lives and shared histories. This novel tells their stories with affection, humor, and occasionally some level of vexation with the world when a deaf boy in town is left without a mother and the state looks to take him into their custody.

It's a story about people who are struggling and their ambitions, successes and disappointments. In this compassionate, life-affirming and often funny novel, McBride explores what it means to be in a community and to live in the margins of "white" American.
]]> 3.84 2023 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
author: James McBride
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/26
date added: 2024/02/26
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I liked this book a lot.

James McBride's The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store opens with the discovery of a skeleton in a well in a small town. This introduction to the Chicken Hill area of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, sets up a sense of mystery as the narrative jumps back nearly 50 years to explore the town, its secrets and its people.

Chicken Hill is a vibrant community of immigrants, Jewish and black people, resulting in a mix of characters with intertwined lives and shared histories. This novel tells their stories with affection, humor, and occasionally some level of vexation with the world when a deaf boy in town is left without a mother and the state looks to take him into their custody.

It's a story about people who are struggling and their ambitions, successes and disappointments. In this compassionate, life-affirming and often funny novel, McBride explores what it means to be in a community and to live in the margins of "white" American.

]]> None of This Is True 62334530 Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?]]> 390 Lisa Jewell 1982179007 Jenn 5
Josie is downtrodden and unassuming woman, but with a dramatic story to share. Alix is a glamorous, well-known true crime podcaster who takes an interest in what she has to say. Josie hungers for attention and envies Alix’s life, while Alix wants to dig deeper into Josie’s story and see what she can uncover. Something about the progression of this story feels very natural, yet it’s clear it’s headed toward something dangerous, and I was captivated.

It’s a very finely-crafted psychological thriller with lots of suspense and atmosphere. The story is engaging and drew me in easily. With a lot of page-turners that don’t have real meat to the story, I often find myself reading as if I’m killing time waiting for the next plot twist. With None of This is True, it has some surprises up it’s sleeve for those of you who love a good plot twist, but mostly I was just very riveted by the story the whole way though. I liked that None of This is True is a genuine psychological thriller where the characters have nuance beyond being “evil� or “good� and have personality traits that are psychologically consistent with things they've been through.

If you’re looking for a good page-turner to lose yourself in, this is a great bet. I would actually go so far as to say this is my favorite psychological thriller that I’ve read in quite a few years.]]> 4.08 2023 None of This Is True
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/23
date added: 2024/02/24
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Josie is downtrodden and unassuming woman, but with a dramatic story to share. Alix is a glamorous, well-known true crime podcaster who takes an interest in what she has to say. Josie hungers for attention and envies Alix’s life, while Alix wants to dig deeper into Josie’s story and see what she can uncover. Something about the progression of this story feels very natural, yet it’s clear it’s headed toward something dangerous, and I was captivated.

It’s a very finely-crafted psychological thriller with lots of suspense and atmosphere. The story is engaging and drew me in easily. With a lot of page-turners that don’t have real meat to the story, I often find myself reading as if I’m killing time waiting for the next plot twist. With None of This is True, it has some surprises up it’s sleeve for those of you who love a good plot twist, but mostly I was just very riveted by the story the whole way though. I liked that None of This is True is a genuine psychological thriller where the characters have nuance beyond being “evil� or “good� and have personality traits that are psychologically consistent with things they've been through.

If you’re looking for a good page-turner to lose yourself in, this is a great bet. I would actually go so far as to say this is my favorite psychological thriller that I’ve read in quite a few years.
]]> The Ministry of Time 199798179 A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all:

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats� from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge�: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as �1847� or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,� “Spotify,� and “the collapse of the British Empire.� But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.]]> 339 Kaliane Bradley 1668045141 Jenn 0 to-read 3.54 2024 The Ministry of Time
author: Kaliane Bradley
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Briar Club 181110045 A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

Washington, D.C., 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; police officer’s daughter Nora, who is entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Bea, whose career has ended along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.

Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears apart the house, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: Who is the true enemy in their midst?]]> 432 Kate Quinn 0063244748 Jenn 0 to-read 4.26 2024 The Briar Club
author: Kate Quinn
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> First Lie Wins 164444179 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593492918.

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn’t like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .]]> 340 Ashley Elston Jenn 4
I thought First Lie Wins was pretty good. Like, the plot basically makes sense and works and the story is chock-full of secret identities and fun secret agent stuff. It dragged a little in the middle for me, not because nothing was happening, but rather because there was just a lot of names and stuff getting thrown around that was clearly a lot of setup for stuff that would happen later. And to be fair, I’m more of a mystery/suspense person than a thriller person.

That all said, the payoff is pretty solid. It was worth the wait, and overall I’d say this is a well constructed and entertaining thriller. Thriller fans should give this one a look.]]> 3.97 2024 First Lie Wins
author: Ashley Elston
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/21
date added: 2024/02/21
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I thought First Lie Wins was pretty good. Like, the plot basically makes sense and works and the story is chock-full of secret identities and fun secret agent stuff. It dragged a little in the middle for me, not because nothing was happening, but rather because there was just a lot of names and stuff getting thrown around that was clearly a lot of setup for stuff that would happen later. And to be fair, I’m more of a mystery/suspense person than a thriller person.

That all said, the payoff is pretty solid. It was worth the wait, and overall I’d say this is a well constructed and entertaining thriller. Thriller fans should give this one a look.
]]> The Teacher 195967140 A mind-bending, psychological thriller from Freida McFadden, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Housemaid!

Lesson #1: trust no one

Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except�

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye.

Addie can't be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that's what everyone says.

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.

From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a story of twisting secrets and long-awaited revenge.]]> 379 Freida McFadden 1728296218 Jenn 4
The Teacher is all plot, drama, smoke and mirrors with a few twists along the way. It does get into some darker territory, but the book tends not to dwell on these things, too busy skipping along at a moderate clip to dive deep into the murkier aspects of its plot.

I liked that the story tries to go against what you might expect to happen in some ways. I also liked that there's a pretty satisfying comeuppance at the end. There's some small twists, and one big twist that I appreciated. Lots of good stuff going on here.

I found The Teacher to be a satisfying and serviceable thriller. There wasn't anything about it that really "wow"ed me, but I thought the plot was relatively believable as far as thriller goes, and I liked that it defied my expectations in some ways. I'm glad I picked it up. It's a fairly generic mystery-thriller, but it's a solid one that I enjoyed.

It might not end up being your favorite book or anything, but I imagine most mystery-thriller fans would find that this scratches that itch pretty effectively.

Full review: ]]> 3.82 2024 The Teacher
author: Freida McFadden
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/18
date added: 2024/02/18
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

The Teacher is all plot, drama, smoke and mirrors with a few twists along the way. It does get into some darker territory, but the book tends not to dwell on these things, too busy skipping along at a moderate clip to dive deep into the murkier aspects of its plot.

I liked that the story tries to go against what you might expect to happen in some ways. I also liked that there's a pretty satisfying comeuppance at the end. There's some small twists, and one big twist that I appreciated. Lots of good stuff going on here.

I found The Teacher to be a satisfying and serviceable thriller. There wasn't anything about it that really "wow"ed me, but I thought the plot was relatively believable as far as thriller goes, and I liked that it defied my expectations in some ways. I'm glad I picked it up. It's a fairly generic mystery-thriller, but it's a solid one that I enjoyed.

It might not end up being your favorite book or anything, but I imagine most mystery-thriller fans would find that this scratches that itch pretty effectively.

Full review:
]]> The Paris Apartment 58468990 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide�

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up � to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? � he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite � The nice guy � The alcoholic � The girl on the verge � The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.]]> 360 Lucy Foley 0063003058 Jenn 1 bookmark
This is a hard "skip it" for me. The book proceeds along so clunkily with little discernible plot for a vast majority of the book. Stuff does get explained at the end, but the ending isn’t particularly good. For me, the “meh� ending definitely wasn’t worth the tedious and slow lead-up.

]]> 3.63 2022 The Paris Apartment
author: Lucy Foley
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2022/02/25
date added: 2024/02/18
shelves: bookmark
review:
Full review:

This is a hard "skip it" for me. The book proceeds along so clunkily with little discernible plot for a vast majority of the book. Stuff does get explained at the end, but the ending isn’t particularly good. For me, the “meh� ending definitely wasn’t worth the tedious and slow lead-up.


]]> <![CDATA[The Last Murder at the End of the World]]> 136276877
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.]]> 368 Stuart Turton Jenn 0 to-read 3.63 2024 The Last Murder at the End of the World
author: Stuart Turton
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Women 127305853 From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie� McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 Jenn 4
In Kristin Hannah's The Women, Frankie McGrath is a young woman from a wealthy family who decides to enlist as a nurse in the Vietnam War after her older brother is killed in action.

In doing so, she leaves her sheltered and comfortable life in California to serve in a war-ravaged country working under dangerous conditions. When she returns, the atmosphere in America is hostile to veterans, dismissive of women's contributions in the war and she struggles to reassimilate.

In a story about patriotism, friendship, remembrance and defying expectations, The Women tells an often-overlooked story of the courageous women who served in Vietnam.

The Women isn’t a story that breaks new ground or offers any sort of life-changing type insights, and I think that’s okay. I don’t think every story worth being told needs to be.

Instead, it’s a confident and welcome addition to a growing body of beautifully told stories about women, offering depth and infusing life into these figures that for a long time have been largely relegated to the sidelines in books, movies and other media.

The Women is an unchallenging and “safe� type of book, but it’s one I enjoyed. Hannah’s newest offering is a quick read that worth the time, and I’ll be looking forward to what she comes up with next.

See the full review:
]]> 4.59 2024 The Women
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/17
date added: 2024/02/17
shelves:
review:
See the full review:

In Kristin Hannah's The Women, Frankie McGrath is a young woman from a wealthy family who decides to enlist as a nurse in the Vietnam War after her older brother is killed in action.

In doing so, she leaves her sheltered and comfortable life in California to serve in a war-ravaged country working under dangerous conditions. When she returns, the atmosphere in America is hostile to veterans, dismissive of women's contributions in the war and she struggles to reassimilate.

In a story about patriotism, friendship, remembrance and defying expectations, The Women tells an often-overlooked story of the courageous women who served in Vietnam.

The Women isn’t a story that breaks new ground or offers any sort of life-changing type insights, and I think that’s okay. I don’t think every story worth being told needs to be.

Instead, it’s a confident and welcome addition to a growing body of beautifully told stories about women, offering depth and infusing life into these figures that for a long time have been largely relegated to the sidelines in books, movies and other media.

The Women is an unchallenging and “safe� type of book, but it’s one I enjoyed. Hannah’s newest offering is a quick read that worth the time, and I’ll be looking forward to what she comes up with next.

See the full review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)]]> 816048 284 Agatha Christie 0007234473 Jenn 5 collectable 4.20 1937 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/02/02
shelves: collectable
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)]]> 538604 307 Agatha Christie 0425173739 Jenn 5 4.02 1937 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1)]]> 18148202
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic and dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.

Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.]]> 484 Helene Wecker 0062110845 Jenn 0 to-read 4.20 2013 The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni, #1)
author: Helene Wecker
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution (Penguin Civic Classics)]]> 13542554 The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution, draws together the great texts of American civic life, including the founding documents, pivotal historical speeches, and important Supreme Court decisions, to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues.

In one portable volume, with accessible annotations and modernizing commentary throughout, Richard Beeman presents The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution . Beeman has created a fascinating apparatus for understanding the most important document in American history—and why it’s as central in the America of today as it was in creation of the country.]]> 174 Founding Fathers 0143121960 Jenn 0 reference-other 4.52 1776 The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution (Penguin Civic Classics)
author: Founding Fathers
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1776
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/25
shelves: reference-other
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Subjection of Women (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)]]> 588643 Arguing for both legal reforms and a social revolution, he focuses on women's exclusion from the political process, their lack of any rights in marriage, and the benefits to be obtained by their liberation. Moreover, if they are to share the freedoms enjoyed by men, equal opportunities for employment and education for women are also necessary.
For its time, the work was radical and far-reaching in its demands; but despite its repeated emphasis on forms of oppression and recognition of the difficulties endured by women, it is essentially an optimistic work maintaining a firm belief that increased equality and liberty for women were inevitable.
Carefully researched and clearly expressed with great logic and consistency, the book remains a landmark in the struggle for human rights. In this inexpensive edition, it will certainly be welcomed by feminists but will also appeal to anyone interested in the philosophical, human, and social issues underlying the idea of freedom and equality for all people, regardless of gender.]]> 101 John Stuart Mill 0486296016 Jenn 0 abandoned 3.71 1869 The Subjection of Women (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)
author: John Stuart Mill
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1869
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves: abandoned
review:

]]> Salvage the Bones 13513403 Salvage the Bone is muscled with poetry, revelatory, and real.]]> 259 Jesmyn Ward 1608196267 Jenn 0 to-read 4.08 2011 Salvage the Bones
author: Jesmyn Ward
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 35967101 A brilliantly original high concept murder mystery from a fantastic new talent: Gosford Park meets Inception, by way of Agatha Christie and Black Mirror.

'Somebody's going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won't appear to be a murder and so the murderer won't be caught. Rectify that injustice and I'll show you the way out.'

It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.

But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden � one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party � can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot.

The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath...

Also titled as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.]]> 505 Stuart Turton Jenn 2 3.87 2018 The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Langenscheidt's Pocket Dictionary Chinese/English English/Chinese]]> 1003108 504 Langenscheidt 1585730572 Jenn 0 reference-other 4.30 2000 Langenscheidt's Pocket Dictionary Chinese/English English/Chinese
author: Langenscheidt
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/16
shelves: reference-other
review:

]]> <![CDATA[So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #4)]]> 8698
"HE LOST ALL FAITH IN THE STRAIGHTFORWARD OPERATION OF CAUSE AND EFFECT THE DAY HE GOT UP INTENDING TO CATCH UP WITH SOME READING AND ENDED UP ON A PREHISTORIC EARTH WITH A MAN FROM BETELGEUSE AND A SPACESHIP-LOAD OF ALIEN TELEPHONE SANITISERS...".

Left at the end of LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING with the address for God's Final Message To His Creation, Arthur Dent let this crucial information slip his mind. He tries everything to jog his memory - meditation, mind-reading, hitting himself about the head with blunt objects. But none of it works. Of course, as everyone knows, the answer lies in making life flash before your eyes...
Source: douglasadams.com]]> 167 Douglas Adams 0330491237 Jenn 0 4.09 1984 So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #4)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1984
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> The Guest List 52656911
The bride � The plus one � The best man � The wedding planner � The bridesmaid � The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 319 Lucy Foley Jenn 4
I was somewhere between a 3 and 4. I could've gone either way on this one.

The book starts off by assembling a colorful cast of characters in a unique and atmospheric venue. Plus, it's a wedding, so there's fancy clothes, lots of booze and so many people being forced to mingle is pretty much the perfect setup for a little mayhem.

Foley does a great job of giving all the characters enough backstory so it leave it up for grabs as to where your attention should be focused, and more importantly who could be the killer. I think the multiple points of view add a lot to the story and worked well.

It should be noted that this story takes a while � like, a looong while � to really get underway. You know from page one that something has happened (a loud scream and soon, a body!), but for a long stretch through the book, there’s mostly just insinuations, stuff that seems ominous but are just pranks and people hinting at secrets. By the halfway point, I was pretty ready to throw in the towel if there wasn’t a real plot development very soon.

Once the plot was actually moving forward, I very quickly got back on board. Stuff comes together in a way that fits together surprisingly well and it draws in a lot of small details that appear earlier in the book, which I loved. The atmosphere of the storm raging and howling all around them as the book nears its finale and brings all its narrative threads together is gratifying and fun.

Ultimately, it's thriller that does a good job of coming together in the end, even if there are a few-too-many fake-outs, some cheesy lines and a first half that may test your patience.

Full review: ]]> 3.82 2020 The Guest List
author: Lucy Foley
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I was somewhere between a 3 and 4. I could've gone either way on this one.

The book starts off by assembling a colorful cast of characters in a unique and atmospheric venue. Plus, it's a wedding, so there's fancy clothes, lots of booze and so many people being forced to mingle is pretty much the perfect setup for a little mayhem.

Foley does a great job of giving all the characters enough backstory so it leave it up for grabs as to where your attention should be focused, and more importantly who could be the killer. I think the multiple points of view add a lot to the story and worked well.

It should be noted that this story takes a while � like, a looong while � to really get underway. You know from page one that something has happened (a loud scream and soon, a body!), but for a long stretch through the book, there’s mostly just insinuations, stuff that seems ominous but are just pranks and people hinting at secrets. By the halfway point, I was pretty ready to throw in the towel if there wasn’t a real plot development very soon.

Once the plot was actually moving forward, I very quickly got back on board. Stuff comes together in a way that fits together surprisingly well and it draws in a lot of small details that appear earlier in the book, which I loved. The atmosphere of the storm raging and howling all around them as the book nears its finale and brings all its narrative threads together is gratifying and fun.

Ultimately, it's thriller that does a good job of coming together in the end, even if there are a few-too-many fake-outs, some cheesy lines and a first half that may test your patience.

Full review:
]]> Pride and Prejudice 18300267 The traditional favorite Jane Austen novel—her enduring story of pride and prejudice

When Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr. Darcy she is repelled by his overbearing pride, and prejudice towards her family. But the Bennet girls are in need of financial security in the shape of husbands, so when Darcy's friend, the affable Mr. Bingley, forms an attachment to Jane, Darcy becomes increasingly hard to avoid. Polite society will be turned upside down in this witty drama of friendship, rivalry, and love—Jane Austen's classic romance novel.]]> 443 Jane Austen 0099589338 Jenn 5 collectable 4.43 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.43
book published: 1813
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/08/05
shelves: collectable
review:

]]> Breakfast at Tiffany's 5668535 Breakfast at Tiffany's is a brilliant glimmer of the excitement of 40's New York. Holly Golightly - brashly beautiful with a slim black dress, a mysterious past and dark glasses over varicoloured eyes - entrances all the men she meets, including the young writer living above her, though her recklessness may yet catch up with her. Also containing three short stories, this edition shows the elegance and warmth of Capote's writing at its most flawless.]]> 157 Truman Capote 0141037261 Jenn 0 to-read 3.64 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany's
author: Truman Capote
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Metamorphosis and Other Stories]]> 1677233
This collection of new translations brings together the small proportion of Kafka's works that he thought worthy of publication. It includes "Metamorphosis", his most famous work, an exploration of horrific transformation and alienation; "Meditation", a collection of his earlier studies; "The Judgement", written in a single night of frenzied creativity; "The Stoker", the first chapter of a novel set in America and a fascinating occasional piece, and "The Aeroplanes at Brescia", Kafka's eyewitness account of an air display in 1909. Together, these stories reveal the breadth of Kafka's literary vision and the extraordinary imaginative depth of his thought.]]> 299 Franz Kafka 0143105248 Jenn 0 4.03 1915 Metamorphosis and Other Stories
author: Franz Kafka
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1915
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anatomy: A Love Story (The Anatomy Duology, #1)]]> 57917042 Edinburgh, 1817. Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books � she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.]]> 338 Dana Schwartz Jenn 3
Anatomy: A Love story is an easy and quick read with a page-turner type feel, set in a context (graverobbers, early medicine and cobblestone streets!) that seems naturally compelling. However, the largely predictable plot, lack of atmosphere and the silly ending meant that it wound up feeling very generic and forgettable to me.
]]> 3.81 2022 Anatomy: A Love Story (The Anatomy Duology, #1)
author: Dana Schwartz
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/23
date added: 2022/01/23
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Anatomy: A Love story is an easy and quick read with a page-turner type feel, set in a context (graverobbers, early medicine and cobblestone streets!) that seems naturally compelling. However, the largely predictable plot, lack of atmosphere and the silly ending meant that it wound up feeling very generic and forgettable to me.

]]> A Flicker in the Dark 57693172
Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?

In a debut novel that has already been optioned for a limited series by actress Emma Stone and sold to a dozen countries around the world, Stacy Willingham has created an unforgettable character in a spellbinding thriller that will appeal equally to fans of Gillian Flynn and Karin Slaughter.]]> 357 Stacy Willingham 1250803829 Jenn 4
3.5.

I thought A Flicker in the Dark was decently plotted thriller with a good premise. I appreciated the carefully planted clues and the reasonable ending. Perhaps some of the character’s actions could have been a little less nonsensical occasionally, but overall I would consider the plotting of it to be mostly solid. There are a few details around the edges that could have been a bit neater, but the main contours of it works.

I have a hard time being super enthusiastic about it mostly because I just don’t tend to enjoy thrillers focused on depressed, anxious protagonists with substance abuse problems. It just gives the whole book a kind of a tiresome, lugubrious atmosphere, which is not my favorite.

That said, while I wasn’t blown away by this book, I’d say A Flicker in the Dark is worth checking out if you’re looking for something for your mystery-thriller queue.

Full review:
]]> 3.96 2022 A Flicker in the Dark
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/18
date added: 2022/01/18
shelves:
review:
Full review:

3.5.

I thought A Flicker in the Dark was decently plotted thriller with a good premise. I appreciated the carefully planted clues and the reasonable ending. Perhaps some of the character’s actions could have been a little less nonsensical occasionally, but overall I would consider the plotting of it to be mostly solid. There are a few details around the edges that could have been a bit neater, but the main contours of it works.

I have a hard time being super enthusiastic about it mostly because I just don’t tend to enjoy thrillers focused on depressed, anxious protagonists with substance abuse problems. It just gives the whole book a kind of a tiresome, lugubrious atmosphere, which is not my favorite.

That said, while I wasn’t blown away by this book, I’d say A Flicker in the Dark is worth checking out if you’re looking for something for your mystery-thriller queue.

Full review:

]]> Wish You Were Here 57701764 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and The Book of Two Ways comes comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.

Jodi Picoult once again proves she is the master of wading through the darkness to find the light. Wish You Were Here is a powerfully evocative story of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit.
--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

Synopsis
Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.]]> 310 Jodi Picoult 1984818414 Jenn 2
Full review:

I was often bored reading this book and struggled to stay interested throughout most of it. The book is slow and a lot of it seemed to be offering up surface-level type insights.

Others have described this book as “moving� or “emotional�, but I really felt very little while reading this. Based on the other reviews, it sounds like I’m in the minority here though, so perhaps your mileage will vary.]]> 3.86 2021 Wish You Were Here
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2022/01/11
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves:
review:
Ehh 2.5 if I'm feeling nice.

Full review:

I was often bored reading this book and struggled to stay interested throughout most of it. The book is slow and a lot of it seemed to be offering up surface-level type insights.

Others have described this book as “moving� or “emotional�, but I really felt very little while reading this. Based on the other reviews, it sounds like I’m in the minority here though, so perhaps your mileage will vary.
]]> The School for Good Mothers 57846320 An alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781982156121 can be found here.

In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.

Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parentsâ€� sacrifices. What’s worse is she ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with their angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she’s attained the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she’s just enough.

Until Frida has a horrible day.

The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida � ones who check their phones while their kids are on the playground; who let their children walk home alone; in other words, mothers who only have one lapse of judgement. Now, a host of government officials will determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion. Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet, Frida must prove that she can live up to the standards set for mothers � that she can learn to be good.

This propulsive, witty page-turner explores the perils of “perfect� upper-middle-class parenting, the violence enacted upon women by the state and each other, and the boundless love a mother has for her daughter.]]> 336 Jessamine Chan Jenn 4
The School for Good Mothers is insightful and thought-out in its portrayal of scrutiny and judgement involved in being a mother in America. It's a book that probes at a thought-provoking questions about motherhood and makes some very valid points.

The first half of the book often seems emotionally monotonous, which results in it feeling slow. It’s a shame because I think a decent amount of people may end up giving up on this compelling read in the first half.

As for me, I did get drawn into the story, the characters and the emotional stakes of the narrative. Overall, I would describe this as a worthwhile and potent read. ]]> 3.51 2022 The School for Good Mothers
author: Jessamine Chan
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/11
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The School for Good Mothers is insightful and thought-out in its portrayal of scrutiny and judgement involved in being a mother in America. It's a book that probes at a thought-provoking questions about motherhood and makes some very valid points.

The first half of the book often seems emotionally monotonous, which results in it feeling slow. It’s a shame because I think a decent amount of people may end up giving up on this compelling read in the first half.

As for me, I did get drawn into the story, the characters and the emotional stakes of the narrative. Overall, I would describe this as a worthwhile and potent read.
]]> The Love Hypothesis 56732449
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.]]> 356 Ali Hazelwood 0593336828 Jenn 4
The Love Hypothesis is an unapologetically cheesy rom-com novel � with an upbeat attitude, meet cutes, fake-dating tropes, etc. � but it’s also a genuinely fun and often funny book. It hits a lot of familiar notes if you’re familiar with this genre, but somehow Ali Hazelwood has arranged them in a way that ends up being delightful and entertaining.

]]> 4.11 2021 The Love Hypothesis
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/11
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The Love Hypothesis is an unapologetically cheesy rom-com novel � with an upbeat attitude, meet cutes, fake-dating tropes, etc. � but it’s also a genuinely fun and often funny book. It hits a lot of familiar notes if you’re familiar with this genre, but somehow Ali Hazelwood has arranged them in a way that ends up being delightful and entertaining.


]]> <![CDATA[The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)]]> 33797941
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.]]> 430 Katherine Arden 1785031058 Jenn 4 4.12 2017 The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)
author: Katherine Arden
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/01/07
shelves:
review:
Review:
]]> The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1) 55196813
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.]]> 304 Nita Prose 0593356152 Jenn 4
3.5, but I rounded up.

The Maid is a warm-hearted and very “cozy� book, and I think most people who like these types of novels will really enjoy it. It’s a well-meaning novel that’s free of cynicism, with a naïve but well-meaning protagonist and an uncomplicated mystery at its center.

The weather where I live has been dreary and chilly, and I’ve been getting over a cold, so for me this novel was precisely the comfy escape that I was looking for. It was fast read with a cute cast of characters. While I do wish Molly would’ve been characterized more consistently and that ending was a little too “neat� for my tastes (with everything wrapped up in a perfect bow), overall, I enjoyed this guileless and warm-hearted cozy mystery.]]> 3.71 2022 The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1)
author: Nita Prose
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/06
date added: 2022/01/06
shelves:
review:
Full review:

3.5, but I rounded up.

The Maid is a warm-hearted and very “cozy� book, and I think most people who like these types of novels will really enjoy it. It’s a well-meaning novel that’s free of cynicism, with a naïve but well-meaning protagonist and an uncomplicated mystery at its center.

The weather where I live has been dreary and chilly, and I’ve been getting over a cold, so for me this novel was precisely the comfy escape that I was looking for. It was fast read with a cute cast of characters. While I do wish Molly would’ve been characterized more consistently and that ending was a little too “neat� for my tastes (with everything wrapped up in a perfect bow), overall, I enjoyed this guileless and warm-hearted cozy mystery.
]]> Under the Whispering Door 53205888 Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.]]> 376 T.J. Klune 1250217342 Jenn 4
3.5.

Under the Whispering Door is a bit more uneven than Klune’s previous novel, but I think it did a good job capturing that delicate balance in tone between a funny book and one that’s trying to philosophize about a lot of Big Questions, which is naturally a more difficult task. Even if the answers it reaches are probably all things you’ve heard before, it’s still makes for a heart-warming journey with plenty of cute hijinks along the way.

I wish he would’ve done more with the fantasy elements in the story, and I think the world-building could have been thought out a little more thoroughly, but I don’t think either of these aspects of it will be deal-breakers for most people.

If you’ve never read anything by T.J. Klune and want to, I would still recommend reading his previous novel, House on the Cerulean Sea, before this book. Cerulean Sea is lighthearted, fun and snappy, and I think it probably has more general appeal.

That said, if you’ve already read Cerulean Sea and liked it, the yes, I’d recommend giving this one a shot. Under the Whispering Door delivers on many aspects that made his previous novel appealing � the quick and snappy pacing, the same sense of humor and plenty of romance.]]> 4.11 2021 Under the Whispering Door
author: T.J. Klune
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/08
date added: 2021/12/08
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

3.5.

Under the Whispering Door is a bit more uneven than Klune’s previous novel, but I think it did a good job capturing that delicate balance in tone between a funny book and one that’s trying to philosophize about a lot of Big Questions, which is naturally a more difficult task. Even if the answers it reaches are probably all things you’ve heard before, it’s still makes for a heart-warming journey with plenty of cute hijinks along the way.

I wish he would’ve done more with the fantasy elements in the story, and I think the world-building could have been thought out a little more thoroughly, but I don’t think either of these aspects of it will be deal-breakers for most people.

If you’ve never read anything by T.J. Klune and want to, I would still recommend reading his previous novel, House on the Cerulean Sea, before this book. Cerulean Sea is lighthearted, fun and snappy, and I think it probably has more general appeal.

That said, if you’ve already read Cerulean Sea and liked it, the yes, I’d recommend giving this one a shot. Under the Whispering Door delivers on many aspects that made his previous novel appealing � the quick and snappy pacing, the same sense of humor and plenty of romance.
]]> The Wonder 28449257
An educated sceptic, Lib expects to expose the fast as a hoax right away. But as she gets to know the girl she becomes more and more unsure. Is Anna a fraud, or a 'living wonder'? Or is something more sinister unfolding right before Lib's eyes?

Written with all the propulsive tension that transported readers of Room, The Wonder asks what lengths we would go to for the love of a child.]]> 291 Emma Donoghue 0316393878 Jenn 5
4.5.

The storyline centers around Lib Wright, an English nurse who goes to Ireland to oversee a child who locals claim is a medical marvel -- or religious miracle, depending on how you look at it. The child's family claims that she has not needed food for sustenance since her 11th birthday. Lib is skeptical and determined to prove that the whole charade is a hoax.

The atmosphere of the novel is taught and suspenseful. Set in a poor religious village, a lot of the narrative deals with Lib struggling with her own skepticism when she isn't sure what exactly she is witnessing. Meanwhile, an intrepid young, male journalist enters the scene to complicate matters.

I'm someone who really appreciates a well-executed understated novel, and I think this one is excellent. The narrative feels tense in precisely the right ways, and Donoghue expertly offers bits of information as the story progresses. There's also a great sense of atmosphere, with the tension heighted by the feeling of Lib being an outsider, alone in this poor Irish town that is still hostile towards the English.

If you like understated but tense novels, I would strongly recommend this book. I found the story engrossing and transportive, and I was completely engaged as I was reading it.]]> 3.60 2016 The Wonder
author: Emma Donoghue
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/01
date added: 2021/12/05
shelves:
review:
Full review:

4.5.

The storyline centers around Lib Wright, an English nurse who goes to Ireland to oversee a child who locals claim is a medical marvel -- or religious miracle, depending on how you look at it. The child's family claims that she has not needed food for sustenance since her 11th birthday. Lib is skeptical and determined to prove that the whole charade is a hoax.

The atmosphere of the novel is taught and suspenseful. Set in a poor religious village, a lot of the narrative deals with Lib struggling with her own skepticism when she isn't sure what exactly she is witnessing. Meanwhile, an intrepid young, male journalist enters the scene to complicate matters.

I'm someone who really appreciates a well-executed understated novel, and I think this one is excellent. The narrative feels tense in precisely the right ways, and Donoghue expertly offers bits of information as the story progresses. There's also a great sense of atmosphere, with the tension heighted by the feeling of Lib being an outsider, alone in this poor Irish town that is still hostile towards the English.

If you like understated but tense novels, I would strongly recommend this book. I found the story engrossing and transportive, and I was completely engaged as I was reading it.
]]> Conversations with Friends 32187419 A sharply intelligent novel about two college students and the strange, unexpected connection they forge with a married couple.

Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed, and darkly observant. A college student and aspiring writer, she devotes herself to a life of the mind--and to the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi, her best friend and comrade-in-arms. Lovers at school, the two young women now perform spoken-word poetry together in Dublin, where a journalist named Melissa spots their potential. Drawn into Melissa's orbit, Frances is reluctantly impressed by the older woman's sophisticated home and tall, handsome husband. Private property, Frances believes, is a cultural evil--and Nick, a bored actor who never quite lived up to his potential, looks like patriarchy made flesh. But however amusing their flirtation seems at first, it gives way to a strange intimacy neither of them expect. As Frances tries to keep her life in check, her relationships increasingly resist her control: with Nick, with her difficult and unhappy father, and finally even with Bobbi. Desperate to reconcile herself to the desires and vulnerabilities of her body, Frances's intellectual certainties begin to yield to something new: a painful and disorienting way of living from moment to moment.

Written with gem-like precision and probing intelligence, Conversations With Friends is wonderfully alive to the pleasures and dangers of youth."]]> 304 Sally Rooney 0451499077 Jenn 3
I'd give this a 2.5.

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney came out back in 2017, but I’ve been curious about it ever since Normal People gained such popularity. I didn’t like Normal People, but plenty of other people did (or at least they liked the Hulu adaptation of it). I guess I was just wondering how I’d feel about her writing in the context of a different story.

I’ll give her this much, Rooney is good at reaching in and exploring those subtle in-between moments in interpersonal relationships, and she manages to do it without expending a lot of unnecessary words. She also has a knack for illustrating the thought processes and frustrations of uncertain relationships that most young, urban people inevitably find themselves in at some point.

A part of me felt distracted by the triviality of it all, since it’s still basically a book about some girl pursing a toxic relationship, but I do think Rooney sets up an interesting dynamic between the foursome in the book. I imagine, especially for twenty-somethings, this will be a fun novel to dissect, especially since the dynamic shifts and what you know about each of the relationships shifts throughout the book.

There are large swaths of Conversations with Friends that are very similar to Normal People. I was actually a little surprised how interchangeable the two books are. The female leads are basically the same. They are guarded, but intellectual young adult women. Both are less flashy looks-wise than their peers, but still attractive. Both are privileged in some ways, but with abusive fathers. They have similar self-destructive tendencies as a result, with one lead preferring sadomasochism and the other engaging in self-harm. They both develop mildly toxic relationships with conventionally attractive, but withholding and depressed men. One being the popular guy at school and the other being a handsome actor. (And in both books, Rooney omits lots of punctuation, and in both cases it seemed to be unnecessary and pretentious.)

I liked this book more than I liked Normal People, but I pretty strongly disliked Normal People so that’s not saying much. To me, Rooney’s books mostly consist of obsessing and overanalyzing toxic relationships, written with an air of irritatingly detached coolness and superficiality.

Full review: ]]> 3.74 2017 Conversations with Friends
author: Sally Rooney
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/03
date added: 2021/12/03
shelves:
review:
Full review:

I'd give this a 2.5.

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney came out back in 2017, but I’ve been curious about it ever since Normal People gained such popularity. I didn’t like Normal People, but plenty of other people did (or at least they liked the Hulu adaptation of it). I guess I was just wondering how I’d feel about her writing in the context of a different story.

I’ll give her this much, Rooney is good at reaching in and exploring those subtle in-between moments in interpersonal relationships, and she manages to do it without expending a lot of unnecessary words. She also has a knack for illustrating the thought processes and frustrations of uncertain relationships that most young, urban people inevitably find themselves in at some point.

A part of me felt distracted by the triviality of it all, since it’s still basically a book about some girl pursing a toxic relationship, but I do think Rooney sets up an interesting dynamic between the foursome in the book. I imagine, especially for twenty-somethings, this will be a fun novel to dissect, especially since the dynamic shifts and what you know about each of the relationships shifts throughout the book.

There are large swaths of Conversations with Friends that are very similar to Normal People. I was actually a little surprised how interchangeable the two books are. The female leads are basically the same. They are guarded, but intellectual young adult women. Both are less flashy looks-wise than their peers, but still attractive. Both are privileged in some ways, but with abusive fathers. They have similar self-destructive tendencies as a result, with one lead preferring sadomasochism and the other engaging in self-harm. They both develop mildly toxic relationships with conventionally attractive, but withholding and depressed men. One being the popular guy at school and the other being a handsome actor. (And in both books, Rooney omits lots of punctuation, and in both cases it seemed to be unnecessary and pretentious.)

I liked this book more than I liked Normal People, but I pretty strongly disliked Normal People so that’s not saying much. To me, Rooney’s books mostly consist of obsessing and overanalyzing toxic relationships, written with an air of irritatingly detached coolness and superficiality.

Full review:
]]> <![CDATA[Beautiful World, Where Are You]]> 56646958 Librarian note: See an alternate cover edition here.

Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a distribution warehouse, and asks him if he'd like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.

Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young-but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?]]> 337 Sally Rooney 0571365426 Jenn 0 to-read 3.74 2021 Beautiful World, Where Are You
author: Sally Rooney
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2021/12/03
date added: 2021/12/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bewilderment 56404444 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

A heartrending new novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning and #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Overstory.

The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nine-year-old, Robin, following the death of his wife. Robin is a warm, kind boy who spends hours painting elaborate pictures of endangered animals. He’s also about to be expelled from third grade for smashing his friend in the face. As his son grows more troubled, Theo hopes to keep him off psychoactive drugs. He learns of an experimental neurofeedback treatment to bolster Robin’s emotional control, one that involves training the boy on the recorded patterns of his mother’s brain�

With its soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and its account of a father and son’s ferocious love, Bewilderment marks Richard Powers’s most intimate and moving novel. At its heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?]]> 278 Richard Powers 0393881148 Jenn 4 3.87 2021 Bewilderment
author: Richard Powers
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/10
date added: 2021/12/03
shelves:
review:
Review:
]]> Cloud Cuckoo Land 56783258 When everything is lost, it’s our stories that survive.

How do we weather the end of things? Cloud Cuckoo Land brings together an unforgettable cast of dreamers and outsiders from past, present and future to offer a vision of survival against all odds.

Constantinople, 1453:
An orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy with a love for animals risk everything on opposite sides of a city wall to protect the people they love.

Idaho, 2020:
An impoverished, idealistic kid seeks revenge on a world that’s crumbling around him. Can he go through with it when a gentle old man stands between him and his plans?

Unknown, Sometime in the Future:
With her tiny community in peril, Konstance is the last hope for the human race. To find a way forward, she must look to the oldest stories of all for guidance.

Bound together by a single ancient text, these tales interweave to form a tapestry of solace and resilience and a celebration of storytelling itself. Like its predecessor All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr’s new novel is a tale of hope and of profound human connection.]]> 626 Anthony Doerr 1982168439 Jenn 4
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a book for people who love books and storytelling. It jumps back and forth chronologically, following a few sets of characters in different time periods to tell a cohesive story that links all of them together.


Overall, I thought Cloud Cuckoo Land was quite a charming story. It was less intellectual and less action-packed than I'd expected to be, but there was something distinctively charming and pleasant about this story. Reading it felt like a lovely, leisurely walk with a fellow book lover by my side.

I would warn that the story is told in a rather unhurried way, so impatient readers may struggle with this one. Most people who consider themselves book lovers could enjoy this book, but people who like to rush through books and plow through a bunch of plot quickly may find this one unsatisfying.

There is plenty to discuss and mull over in this story though, and it's relatively accessible as far as literary fiction goes. I'd recommend it for book clubs that don't mind longer books (it's 600+ pages!) and whose members at least dabble in literary fiction.

Full review: ]]> 4.24 2021 Cloud Cuckoo Land
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/12/03
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a book for people who love books and storytelling. It jumps back and forth chronologically, following a few sets of characters in different time periods to tell a cohesive story that links all of them together.


Overall, I thought Cloud Cuckoo Land was quite a charming story. It was less intellectual and less action-packed than I'd expected to be, but there was something distinctively charming and pleasant about this story. Reading it felt like a lovely, leisurely walk with a fellow book lover by my side.

I would warn that the story is told in a rather unhurried way, so impatient readers may struggle with this one. Most people who consider themselves book lovers could enjoy this book, but people who like to rush through books and plow through a bunch of plot quickly may find this one unsatisfying.

There is plenty to discuss and mull over in this story though, and it's relatively accessible as far as literary fiction goes. I'd recommend it for book clubs that don't mind longer books (it's 600+ pages!) and whose members at least dabble in literary fiction.

Full review:
]]> <![CDATA[Beautiful World, Where Are You]]> 56597885 356 Sally Rooney 0374602603 Jenn 3 3.53 2021 Beautiful World, Where Are You
author: Sally Rooney
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/10
date added: 2021/12/03
shelves:
review:
Review:
]]> <![CDATA[The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)]]> 46000520
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Alternate cover edition can be found here .]]> 382 Richard Osman Jenn 5
4.5! If you like cozy mysteries at all, I would heartily recommend this one. It’s a fun and occasionally funny read. Also, if you like books geared for older adults, this one is a great one �
it deals with issues relating to aging in a thoughtful and entertaining way.]]> 3.87 2020 The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/11/29
shelves:
review:
Full review:

4.5! If you like cozy mysteries at all, I would heartily recommend this one. It’s a fun and occasionally funny read. Also, if you like books geared for older adults, this one is a great one �
it deals with issues relating to aging in a thoughtful and entertaining way.
]]> The Lincoln Highway 57109107 The bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a stylish and propulsive novel set in 1950s America

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.

Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles’s third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes.]]> 576 Amor Towles 0735222355 Jenn 4 4.18 2021 The Lincoln Highway
author: Amor Towles
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/30
date added: 2021/10/30
shelves:
review:
Full review:
]]> Apples Never Fall 56143578 #1 New York Times Bestseller
A Peacock Original TV Series–Streaming Soon

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Liane Moriarty comes a novel that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest

The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .

If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.]]> 467 Liane Moriarty 1250220254 Jenn 4 3.69 2021 Apples Never Fall
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/10
date added: 2021/10/10
shelves:
review:
Review:
]]> Billy Summers 56852407
How about everything...]]> 517 Stephen King 1982173610 Jenn 3 4.11 2021 Billy Summers
author: Stephen King
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/10
date added: 2021/10/10
shelves:
review:
Review:
]]> Rock Paper Scissors 56269064 Think you know the person you married? Think again�

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts � paper, cotton, pottery, tin � and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.]]> 294 Alice Feeney 1250266106 Jenn 4 3.88 2021 Rock Paper Scissors
author: Alice Feeney
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/10
date added: 2021/10/10
shelves:
review:
Somewhere between a 3 and a 4. Review:
]]> Verity 41957126
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

A standalone romantic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.]]> 324 Colleen Hoover Jenn 3 4.32 2018 Verity
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/10
date added: 2021/10/10
shelves:
review:
Review:
]]> We Were Never Here 56084054 An annual backpacking trip has deadly consequences in a chilling new novel from the bestselling author of The Lost Night and The Herd.

Emily is having the time of her life--she's in the mountains of Chile with her best friend, Kristen, on their annual reunion trip, and the women are feeling closer than ever. But on the last night of their trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen says the cute backpacker she'd been flirting with attacked her, and she had no choice but to kill him in self-defense. Even more shocking: The scene is horrifyingly similar to last year's trip, when another backpacker wound up dead. Emily can't believe it's happened again--can lightning really strike twice?

Back home in Wisconsin, Emily struggles to bury her trauma, diving head-first into a new relationship and throwing herself into work. But when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit, Emily is forced to to confront their violent past. The more Kristen tries to keep Emily close, the more Emily questions her friend's motives. As Emily feels the walls closing in on their coverups, she must reckon with the truth about her closest friend. Can she outrun the secrets she shares with Kristen, or will they destroy her relationship, her freedom--even her life?

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781984820464.]]> 304 Andrea Bartz Jenn 2
Full review:

We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz is a thriller and the latest pick for Reese’s Book Club.

The book opens with one of the characters, Kristen, killing a man while she’s on vacation with her best friend, Emily. Kristen claims it was in self-defense, but the incident is oddly similar to something that happened the last time they were vacationing together just last year. As a result, Emily starts to question her friendship with Kristen and what exactly happened that night.

When I started the book, I realized on some level that the premise of it didn’t really grab me to begin with, but I gave it a shot anyway since I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of Reese’s book club picks in the past.

By about halfway into the book, however, the plot still hadn’t moved past the point described on the cover blurb (basically what I summarized above), and I was getting a little bored. There’s also somewhat of an element of ridiculousness to the whole book, but to be honest that’s not what really bothered me.

Instead, a bigger issue is that fairly early on in the book, it’s clear what’s really going on and there aren’t really many surprises from there. The plot ends up playing out in a fairly predictable way, and I struggled to stay interested in it. There’s some attempt by the author to psycho-analyze these characters, but I didn’t find it all that satisfying.

Overall, I felt pretty “meh� about this book. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t think it was exactly good either. There is some suspense and tension there, and it’s a quick and easy read, but ultimately I found it too predictable. I’m not sure that it’s one I’d want to recommend to others.

Full review: ]]> 3.46 2021 We Were Never Here
author: Andrea Bartz
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/08/09
date added: 2021/08/09
shelves:
review:
2.5, rounded down

Full review:

We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz is a thriller and the latest pick for Reese’s Book Club.

The book opens with one of the characters, Kristen, killing a man while she’s on vacation with her best friend, Emily. Kristen claims it was in self-defense, but the incident is oddly similar to something that happened the last time they were vacationing together just last year. As a result, Emily starts to question her friendship with Kristen and what exactly happened that night.

When I started the book, I realized on some level that the premise of it didn’t really grab me to begin with, but I gave it a shot anyway since I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of Reese’s book club picks in the past.

By about halfway into the book, however, the plot still hadn’t moved past the point described on the cover blurb (basically what I summarized above), and I was getting a little bored. There’s also somewhat of an element of ridiculousness to the whole book, but to be honest that’s not what really bothered me.

Instead, a bigger issue is that fairly early on in the book, it’s clear what’s really going on and there aren’t really many surprises from there. The plot ends up playing out in a fairly predictable way, and I struggled to stay interested in it. There’s some attempt by the author to psycho-analyze these characters, but I didn’t find it all that satisfying.

Overall, I felt pretty “meh� about this book. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t think it was exactly good either. There is some suspense and tension there, and it’s a quick and easy read, but ultimately I found it too predictable. I’m not sure that it’s one I’d want to recommend to others.

Full review:
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Graduate (The Scholomance, #2)]]> 55354918 A budding dark sorceress determined not to use her formidable powers uncovers yet more secrets about the workings of her world in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education, the start of Naomi Novik’s groundbreaking crossover series.

At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year—and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules . . .]]> 389 Naomi Novik 0593128877 Jenn 4
The Last Graduate (Scholomance #2) is the second book in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series, a trilogy about a girl named El who attends a school of magic. To complicate matters, El has been prophesized to be a bringer of death and doom.

The Last Graduate picks up right where the first book of the series, A Deadly Education, leaves off. El is now a senior, and it’s time to make final preparations for their graduation � which historically has had a death rate of around three quarters of the class.

Narratively, The Last Graduate serves primarily to move the story forward to where it needs to be for the last book of the trilogy. This is not to imply that this book is filler -- I won't give anything away here, but El grows a lot as a character and makes some important decisions about her future and the type of person she wants to be in the duration of this story.

This installment in the trilogy continues to showcase how intentional Novik has been in crafting El's story. Here, Novik continues to deal with the issues around class divisions that the first book (between the better-situated "enclaver" class and everyone else below them in the social hierarchy) dove into, but she also goes into a bunch of other issues as well.

For example, a major plot component in this book involves the growing tensions between the English-speaking New York enclavers and the Chinese-speaking Shanghai enclavers, which introduces some interesting geopolitical dimensions into the story. I liked that neither side was presented as evil nor saintly. Instead, they're all acting as self-interested and rational entities, as people typically are. Novik presents believable and understandable grounds for the division between them.

I'm really enjoying this book series, though The Last Graduate definitely feels more like a bridge between the end of the previous book and the beginning of the next rather than a full narrative in and of itself.

That said, it's definitely an important part of the story, and it ends with a pretty thrilling cliff-hanger. So, if you liked the first book, then of course you should read this one, too!

Full review: ]]> 4.31 2021 The Last Graduate (The Scholomance, #2)
author: Naomi Novik
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/09
date added: 2021/08/09
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The Last Graduate (Scholomance #2) is the second book in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series, a trilogy about a girl named El who attends a school of magic. To complicate matters, El has been prophesized to be a bringer of death and doom.

The Last Graduate picks up right where the first book of the series, A Deadly Education, leaves off. El is now a senior, and it’s time to make final preparations for their graduation � which historically has had a death rate of around three quarters of the class.

Narratively, The Last Graduate serves primarily to move the story forward to where it needs to be for the last book of the trilogy. This is not to imply that this book is filler -- I won't give anything away here, but El grows a lot as a character and makes some important decisions about her future and the type of person she wants to be in the duration of this story.

This installment in the trilogy continues to showcase how intentional Novik has been in crafting El's story. Here, Novik continues to deal with the issues around class divisions that the first book (between the better-situated "enclaver" class and everyone else below them in the social hierarchy) dove into, but she also goes into a bunch of other issues as well.

For example, a major plot component in this book involves the growing tensions between the English-speaking New York enclavers and the Chinese-speaking Shanghai enclavers, which introduces some interesting geopolitical dimensions into the story. I liked that neither side was presented as evil nor saintly. Instead, they're all acting as self-interested and rational entities, as people typically are. Novik presents believable and understandable grounds for the division between them.

I'm really enjoying this book series, though The Last Graduate definitely feels more like a bridge between the end of the previous book and the beginning of the next rather than a full narrative in and of itself.

That said, it's definitely an important part of the story, and it ends with a pretty thrilling cliff-hanger. So, if you liked the first book, then of course you should read this one, too!

Full review:
]]> The Night She Disappeared 55922299
Kim watches her daughter leave and, as late evening turns into night, which turns into early morning, she waits for her return. And waits.

The next morning, Kim phones Tallulah's friends who tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a party at a house in the nearby woods called Dark Place.

She never returns.

2019: Sophie is walking in the woods near the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started work as a head-teacher when she sees a note fixed to a tree.

'DIG HERE' . . .

A cold case, an abandoned mansion, family trauma and dark secrets lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell's remarkable new novel.]]> 416 Lisa Jewell 1982137363 Jenn 4
Full review:

The Night She Disappeared involves the disappearance of a teenage couple, Tallulah Knox and Zach Allister, from a grand house situated next to the woods, set in a picturesque village in Surrey Hills.

It's a slightly slow-burning mystery, and there’s not a ton of twists and turns. Instead, it focuses heavily on the characters� personal dramas, and it has a police procedural-feel to the story as one of the characters is essentially an amateur sleuth.

The book follows three timelines � one timeline tracing the events leading up to the disappearance, another from the time of the disappearance, and one taking place a year later � as it reveals what exactly happened to Tallulah and Zach.

Like the other books I’ve read of hers, I found it easy to get pulled into the narrative, and like her other books, she manages to create believe-able characters with enough character development for me to feel invested in their story.

I guessed part of the ending, and there’s a few parts of the plot that seem a little incredulous, which is unfortunate (see the Spoiler-ish Thoughts, in the full review). Still, as a whole, the mystery is decent and the story was structured in a way that kept my interest.

If you don’t mind a slightly slow-burning mystery-thriller (it’s not that slow, I only mention this for readers who know they are particularly impatient), I think this one’s a solid mystery, and I always find Jewell’s writing to be very readable.

Full review: ]]> 4.05 2021 The Night She Disappeared
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/09
date added: 2021/08/09
shelves:
review:
3.5 but I rounded up

Full review:

The Night She Disappeared involves the disappearance of a teenage couple, Tallulah Knox and Zach Allister, from a grand house situated next to the woods, set in a picturesque village in Surrey Hills.

It's a slightly slow-burning mystery, and there’s not a ton of twists and turns. Instead, it focuses heavily on the characters� personal dramas, and it has a police procedural-feel to the story as one of the characters is essentially an amateur sleuth.

The book follows three timelines � one timeline tracing the events leading up to the disappearance, another from the time of the disappearance, and one taking place a year later � as it reveals what exactly happened to Tallulah and Zach.

Like the other books I’ve read of hers, I found it easy to get pulled into the narrative, and like her other books, she manages to create believe-able characters with enough character development for me to feel invested in their story.

I guessed part of the ending, and there’s a few parts of the plot that seem a little incredulous, which is unfortunate (see the Spoiler-ish Thoughts, in the full review). Still, as a whole, the mystery is decent and the story was structured in a way that kept my interest.

If you don’t mind a slightly slow-burning mystery-thriller (it’s not that slow, I only mention this for readers who know they are particularly impatient), I think this one’s a solid mystery, and I always find Jewell’s writing to be very readable.

Full review:
]]> <![CDATA[The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance, #3)]]> 55858638 New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.

The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out--and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.]]> 407 Naomi Novik 0593158369 Jenn 0 bookmark, to-read 4.08 2022 The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance, #3)
author: Naomi Novik
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/29
shelves: bookmark, to-read
review:

]]> Survive the Night 55628983
Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.

Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story.

As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking.

Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.]]> 336 Riley Sager 0593183169 Jenn 2
This book is, unfortunately, a skip it for me. I feel bad saying this because I like Riley Sager, and I really appreciate how carefully he plots his stories.

However, the main character seems like such a dud through most of the book � in a story setup that really demands a compelling protagonist to carry you through it. And the whole plot device of her getting weird hallucinations leads to a lot of nonsensical ways for things to play out, especially in the first half of the book.

If you really enjoy lots of plot twists, you might consider reading this, though I’d warn you that the book doesn’t really get good until the last quarter.

Survive the Night is a quick and very easy read, but I still struggled to stay interested in it at times. Fans of Riley Sager, perhaps you might like it, but be forewarned that this book definitely feels uneven, with some high points and some very questionable low points.

Full review:
]]> 3.51 2021 Survive the Night
author: Riley Sager
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/07/25
date added: 2021/07/25
shelves:
review:
Full review:

This book is, unfortunately, a skip it for me. I feel bad saying this because I like Riley Sager, and I really appreciate how carefully he plots his stories.

However, the main character seems like such a dud through most of the book � in a story setup that really demands a compelling protagonist to carry you through it. And the whole plot device of her getting weird hallucinations leads to a lot of nonsensical ways for things to play out, especially in the first half of the book.

If you really enjoy lots of plot twists, you might consider reading this, though I’d warn you that the book doesn’t really get good until the last quarter.

Survive the Night is a quick and very easy read, but I still struggled to stay interested in it at times. Fans of Riley Sager, perhaps you might like it, but be forewarned that this book definitely feels uneven, with some high points and some very questionable low points.

Full review:

]]> The Personal Librarian 55333938 This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780593101537.

The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan's personal librarian—who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true, from New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray.

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths to which she must go—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.]]> 341 Marie Benedict Jenn 4
Full review:

The Personal Librarian tells the story of Belle de Costa Greene, a black woman who became the personal librarian to the famed banker J. P. Morgan by passing as white. While the book is historical fiction, Belle de Costa Greene was a real person who managed to achieve a status in society that was noteworthy, even if she didn’t have to overcome the limits of race.

Authored by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, The Personal Library draws from a lot of historical events and pulls in many real-life details about Belle’s life. There’s clearly a lot of research that went into this novel, and Belle becoming so successful as a black woman in a white male field is an innately interesting story in and of itself.

That said, the book as a whole is a little slow-going. The actual story running through it is a bit sparse, likely due to a lack of sufficient detail about Belle’s life, so it gets spread out fairly thin throughout the book. I don’t doubt that Belle was a fascinating woman in person, but in some parts of the book it felt like the writers were struggling to put together enough of a storyline to make it into a book.

I think lovers of historical fiction who don’t mind reading a somewhat leisurely-paced novel will enjoy this book. The book did go by a little slowly for my tastes, but overall it represents such a unique little slice of history that I enjoyed it all the same.

This is definitely one where I’d recommend reading the Historical Notes at the end if you’re going to read it!

Full review: ]]> 3.98 2021 The Personal Librarian
author: Marie Benedict
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/25
date added: 2021/07/25
shelves:
review:
Somewhere between a 3 and a 4, rounded up.

Full review:

The Personal Librarian tells the story of Belle de Costa Greene, a black woman who became the personal librarian to the famed banker J. P. Morgan by passing as white. While the book is historical fiction, Belle de Costa Greene was a real person who managed to achieve a status in society that was noteworthy, even if she didn’t have to overcome the limits of race.

Authored by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, The Personal Library draws from a lot of historical events and pulls in many real-life details about Belle’s life. There’s clearly a lot of research that went into this novel, and Belle becoming so successful as a black woman in a white male field is an innately interesting story in and of itself.

That said, the book as a whole is a little slow-going. The actual story running through it is a bit sparse, likely due to a lack of sufficient detail about Belle’s life, so it gets spread out fairly thin throughout the book. I don’t doubt that Belle was a fascinating woman in person, but in some parts of the book it felt like the writers were struggling to put together enough of a storyline to make it into a book.

I think lovers of historical fiction who don’t mind reading a somewhat leisurely-paced novel will enjoy this book. The book did go by a little slowly for my tastes, but overall it represents such a unique little slice of history that I enjoyed it all the same.

This is definitely one where I’d recommend reading the Historical Notes at the end if you’re going to read it!

Full review:
]]> <![CDATA[The Plot (The Book Series, #1)]]> 55315487 Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot is a psychologically suspenseful novel about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it.

Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing� of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?]]> 320 Jean Hanff Korelitz 125079076X Jenn 4
In The Plot, Jake is a failed writer who steals the plot of a book from his deceased student. It becomes a bestseller. From there, the book turns into a book-within-a-book as we follow both Jake’s story as well as the story being told in his bestselling novel, The Crib.

I guessed the ending pretty early on as I was reading, as it is fairly obvious. I imagine a decent chunk of people will be able to guess it in advance as well. But it actually didn’t diminish my interest in the story. I wanted to see how it would play out, and there’s enough going on and other unanswered questions that even if you guess the big twist, there’s still other stuff to keep your interest.

One big selling point of this book is the whole nest story aspect of it. In my opinion, The Plot offers a pretty solid implementation of the nested stories format. Here, it makes sense to structure it this way, it adds to the story, and it comes together neatly. All good things.

I think the main thing some people may not like is that the book is written in a somewhat long-winded fashion, which may or may not appeal to you. I found I preferred listening to the audiobook for this reason.

Also, Korelitz describes the book-with-the-book as some type of absolutely legendary and never-seen-before story that could only have become a huge bestseller, and it basically turns out to be an okay story with a solid (but not novel) plot twist.

Even with the overlong paragraphs and fairly guess-able plot twist, I found The Plot to be an engaging and fun read. The story-within-the-story works well here, so if that’s what interests you about it, I’d encourage you to give it a shot.

Full Review: ]]> 3.75 2021 The Plot (The Book Series, #1)
author: Jean Hanff Korelitz
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/25
date added: 2021/07/25
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

In The Plot, Jake is a failed writer who steals the plot of a book from his deceased student. It becomes a bestseller. From there, the book turns into a book-within-a-book as we follow both Jake’s story as well as the story being told in his bestselling novel, The Crib.

I guessed the ending pretty early on as I was reading, as it is fairly obvious. I imagine a decent chunk of people will be able to guess it in advance as well. But it actually didn’t diminish my interest in the story. I wanted to see how it would play out, and there’s enough going on and other unanswered questions that even if you guess the big twist, there’s still other stuff to keep your interest.

One big selling point of this book is the whole nest story aspect of it. In my opinion, The Plot offers a pretty solid implementation of the nested stories format. Here, it makes sense to structure it this way, it adds to the story, and it comes together neatly. All good things.

I think the main thing some people may not like is that the book is written in a somewhat long-winded fashion, which may or may not appeal to you. I found I preferred listening to the audiobook for this reason.

Also, Korelitz describes the book-with-the-book as some type of absolutely legendary and never-seen-before story that could only have become a huge bestseller, and it basically turns out to be an okay story with a solid (but not novel) plot twist.

Even with the overlong paragraphs and fairly guess-able plot twist, I found The Plot to be an engaging and fun read. The story-within-the-story works well here, so if that’s what interests you about it, I’d encourage you to give it a shot.

Full Review:
]]> Local Woman Missing 54737068 People don’t just disappear without a trace....

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.

Now, 11 years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find....

In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times best-selling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.]]> 356 Mary Kubica 0778389448 Jenn 4
Full review:

In Local Woman Missing, eleven years ago, there were a series of two disappearances, one involving a young housewife and the other involving a mother and her young daughter, Delilah. In present day, Delilah has been found. The question remains, however, of whether the disappearances were connected. The book then goes back and forth between three timelines to tell its story.

There is a lot going on in this book with all of the characters dealing with the fallout and investigation into the multiple missing persons as well as a lot of personal and interpersonal dramas that may or may not have played a part in those disappearances. Kubica manages all these storylines and plotlines deftly, somehow bringing it all together into a cohesive story that feels well-paced and with a narrative that flows smoothly.

Without spoiling anything though, I will say that the resolution of the novel is less clever than the buildup of the plot would imply. It ends up resolving the novel with somewhat far-fetched occurrences, and it strains credulity that they would happen to collide in the way they do.

I was pretty enthusiastic about this book as I read it, and Kubica does manages to tie off most loose ends. However, she does it in a way that seems a little incredulous, even for a mystery-thriller. It doesn't help that there's a number of implausible things in the novel that I was fine with ignoring as I read it, but when the ending turned things up another few notches on the "oh, come on, are you kidding me?" scale, I felt like I had to mention it here.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed the buildup of the story. However, I think how much you're able to enjoy this book really depends on whether you're someone who's able to suspend your disbelief when it comes to some of the more implausible events of the novel.

Full review: ]]> 4.12 2021 Local Woman Missing
author: Mary Kubica
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/15
date added: 2021/07/15
shelves:
review:
I was between a 3 and a 4 and decided to round up.

Full review:

In Local Woman Missing, eleven years ago, there were a series of two disappearances, one involving a young housewife and the other involving a mother and her young daughter, Delilah. In present day, Delilah has been found. The question remains, however, of whether the disappearances were connected. The book then goes back and forth between three timelines to tell its story.

There is a lot going on in this book with all of the characters dealing with the fallout and investigation into the multiple missing persons as well as a lot of personal and interpersonal dramas that may or may not have played a part in those disappearances. Kubica manages all these storylines and plotlines deftly, somehow bringing it all together into a cohesive story that feels well-paced and with a narrative that flows smoothly.

Without spoiling anything though, I will say that the resolution of the novel is less clever than the buildup of the plot would imply. It ends up resolving the novel with somewhat far-fetched occurrences, and it strains credulity that they would happen to collide in the way they do.

I was pretty enthusiastic about this book as I read it, and Kubica does manages to tie off most loose ends. However, she does it in a way that seems a little incredulous, even for a mystery-thriller. It doesn't help that there's a number of implausible things in the novel that I was fine with ignoring as I read it, but when the ending turned things up another few notches on the "oh, come on, are you kidding me?" scale, I felt like I had to mention it here.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed the buildup of the story. However, I think how much you're able to enjoy this book really depends on whether you're someone who's able to suspend your disbelief when it comes to some of the more implausible events of the novel.

Full review:
]]> The Night Watchman 43721059
Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation� bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination� that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run�?

Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.

Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.

In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.]]> 464 Louise Erdrich 0062671200 Jenn 4
I liked it, but I didn't love it. I kept thinking I should like this book more than I did because it just won a Pulitzer.

The Night Watchman is a story seeped in Erdrich’s own family history, based on her grandfather’s experiences resisting the dispossession of Native American lands from the U.S. government. In addition to the response to the Termination Bill in 1953, the narrative in The Night Watchman shifts back and forth from a variety of characters, allowing Erdrich to cover other important topics involving the treatment of Native Americans and to tell stories about personal, interior dramas as well.

There are aspects of it that are really compelling and moving, and obviously the cultural details woven into the story are fascinating. The Night Watchman is not one of those books that feels like a copy & paste of other books with some minor details changed.

At the same time, the Night Watchman is told in a somewhat fragmented way, with the narrative jumping from scene to scene and the storytelling being a little scattered in general. It gets into a lot of side plots, and I found my attention drifting away from it from time to time. I definitely think this one is for more patient and diligent readers.

The Night Watchman deals with a variety of important topics that don’t receive nearly enough attention in books and media. For that reason alone, I imagine most people will get something out of reading this story. And while I didn’t like all aspects of it, The Night Watchman is still a competently told story that is a worth-while read, if you have the patience for it.

I’d also mention that The Night Watchman is not the most accessible book, so I wouldn’t recommend it to casual readers or anyone looking for a quick read. I think it would be a little too literary for your average book club, but if you guys are looking to tackle a more difficult read, there’s certainly plenty to talk about here.

Full Review:
]]> 4.05 2020 The Night Watchman
author: Louise Erdrich
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/13
date added: 2021/07/13
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

I liked it, but I didn't love it. I kept thinking I should like this book more than I did because it just won a Pulitzer.

The Night Watchman is a story seeped in Erdrich’s own family history, based on her grandfather’s experiences resisting the dispossession of Native American lands from the U.S. government. In addition to the response to the Termination Bill in 1953, the narrative in The Night Watchman shifts back and forth from a variety of characters, allowing Erdrich to cover other important topics involving the treatment of Native Americans and to tell stories about personal, interior dramas as well.

There are aspects of it that are really compelling and moving, and obviously the cultural details woven into the story are fascinating. The Night Watchman is not one of those books that feels like a copy & paste of other books with some minor details changed.

At the same time, the Night Watchman is told in a somewhat fragmented way, with the narrative jumping from scene to scene and the storytelling being a little scattered in general. It gets into a lot of side plots, and I found my attention drifting away from it from time to time. I definitely think this one is for more patient and diligent readers.

The Night Watchman deals with a variety of important topics that don’t receive nearly enough attention in books and media. For that reason alone, I imagine most people will get something out of reading this story. And while I didn’t like all aspects of it, The Night Watchman is still a competently told story that is a worth-while read, if you have the patience for it.

I’d also mention that The Night Watchman is not the most accessible book, so I wouldn’t recommend it to casual readers or anyone looking for a quick read. I think it would be a little too literary for your average book club, but if you guys are looking to tackle a more difficult read, there’s certainly plenty to talk about here.

Full Review:

]]> People We Meet on Vacation 54985743 Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 400 Emily Henry 1984806750 Jenn 3
For a very light, breezy, fun and romantic-type read, People We Meet on Vacation is a cutesy best-friend-who-may-or-may-not-want-to-bone (a.k.a. friends-to-lovers-maybe) type of story.

Emily Henry’s writing is capable and confident, and it’s a cute story overall, often humorous in tone. The premise of the two protagonists going on a bunch of summer vacations together gives the story its structure.

It’s a low-key narrative, devoid of any torrid drama, so I imagine some might find it a little bland while others will like it for that reason.

There’s definitely some contrivances in their relationship for the sake of stretching out the plot over the 12 year timeframe of the book, but whatever. Towards the end, especially though, it did drag a little for me, since it doesn’t quite maintain the tension you want to keep things interesting.

For me, this was a good fit for an audiobook to listen to while on the road. I’d recommend this for some solo reading if you’re looking for a light-hearted diversion.

Full review: ]]> 3.85 2021 People We Meet on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/01
date added: 2021/07/02
shelves:
review:
I was between 3 and 4 on this one, could've gone either way --

For a very light, breezy, fun and romantic-type read, People We Meet on Vacation is a cutesy best-friend-who-may-or-may-not-want-to-bone (a.k.a. friends-to-lovers-maybe) type of story.

Emily Henry’s writing is capable and confident, and it’s a cute story overall, often humorous in tone. The premise of the two protagonists going on a bunch of summer vacations together gives the story its structure.

It’s a low-key narrative, devoid of any torrid drama, so I imagine some might find it a little bland while others will like it for that reason.

There’s definitely some contrivances in their relationship for the sake of stretching out the plot over the 12 year timeframe of the book, but whatever. Towards the end, especially though, it did drag a little for me, since it doesn’t quite maintain the tension you want to keep things interesting.

For me, this was a good fit for an audiobook to listen to while on the road. I’d recommend this for some solo reading if you’re looking for a light-hearted diversion.

Full review:
]]> Crossroads 55881796 Jonathan Franzen's gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Crossroads.

It's December 23, 1971, and heavy weather is forecast for Chicago. Russ Hildebrandt, the associate pastor of a liberal suburban church, is on the brink of breaking free of a marriage he finds joyless--unless his wife, Marion, who has her own secret life, beats him to it. Their eldest child, Clem, is coming home from college on fire with moral absolutism, having taken an action that will shatter his father. Clem's sister, Becky, long the social queen of her high-school class, has sharply veered into the counterculture, while their brilliant younger brother Perry, who's been selling drugs to seventh graders, has resolved to be a better person. Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate.

Jonathan Franzen's novels are celebrated for their unforgettably vivid characters and for their keen-eyed take on contemporary America. Now, in Crossroads, Franzen ventures back into the past and explores the history of two generations. With characteristic humor and complexity, and with even greater warmth, he conjures a world that resonates powerfully with our own.

A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, its action largely unfolding on a single winter day, Crossroads is the story of a Midwestern family at a pivotal moment of moral crisis. Jonathan Franzen's gift for melding the small picture and the big picture has never been more dazzlingly evident.]]> 592 Jonathan Franzen 0374181179 Jenn 0 4.05 2021 Crossroads
author: Jonathan Franzen
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/06/27
shelves:
review:
Can we just talk about how ridiculous it is that Jonathan Franzen refers to himself as being "universally recognized as the leading novelist of his generation" on his cover flap? Just...wow.
]]> The Midnight Library 52578297
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?]]> 288 Matt Haig 0525559477 Jenn 4
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig has been described as an uplifting book for book lovers that involves alternate realities.

Reading The Midnight Library, it's clear that author Matt Haig has spent considerable time thinking about The Big Questions in life, and this book is an extension or the result of that exploration. Haig has a specific message he wants to convey, and he does so through Nora Seed, the novel's protagonist, is a thirty-something woman who is dissatisfied with her life.

When Nora she comes across the Midnight Library, it that allows her to explore the different possible paths her life could have taken. The story is essentially about the "what ifs" in life, and it spends a lot of time considering things like what success is, how our actions affect others, or how our lives are shaped by the people around us.

As a whole, the book is hopeful and life-affirming, and it moves along briskly enough that I think most would find it a reasonably entertaining ride.

That said, if you're looking for something that is really intellectually engaging, this is probably not going to scratch that itch. The message Haig seeks to impart in The Midnight Library isn't novel or particularly earth-shattering. Chances are, you've heard variations of these types of messages before many times. And yet, reading it, I felt reassured and comforted. It's the type of things we all know, but need reminders of sometime.

I think this would be perfect for someone who wants to read about the "Big Questions" in life, but doesn't want to read anything too dense or depressing. I also think this is worth reading if you really like the idea of alternate realities.

I should mention that the audiobook is narrated by actress Carey Mulligan and she does a stellar job at it.

Full review: ]]> 3.96 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/17
date added: 2021/06/20
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig has been described as an uplifting book for book lovers that involves alternate realities.

Reading The Midnight Library, it's clear that author Matt Haig has spent considerable time thinking about The Big Questions in life, and this book is an extension or the result of that exploration. Haig has a specific message he wants to convey, and he does so through Nora Seed, the novel's protagonist, is a thirty-something woman who is dissatisfied with her life.

When Nora she comes across the Midnight Library, it that allows her to explore the different possible paths her life could have taken. The story is essentially about the "what ifs" in life, and it spends a lot of time considering things like what success is, how our actions affect others, or how our lives are shaped by the people around us.

As a whole, the book is hopeful and life-affirming, and it moves along briskly enough that I think most would find it a reasonably entertaining ride.

That said, if you're looking for something that is really intellectually engaging, this is probably not going to scratch that itch. The message Haig seeks to impart in The Midnight Library isn't novel or particularly earth-shattering. Chances are, you've heard variations of these types of messages before many times. And yet, reading it, I felt reassured and comforted. It's the type of things we all know, but need reminders of sometime.

I think this would be perfect for someone who wants to read about the "Big Questions" in life, but doesn't want to read anything too dense or depressing. I also think this is worth reading if you really like the idea of alternate realities.

I should mention that the audiobook is narrated by actress Carey Mulligan and she does a stellar job at it.

Full review:
]]> We Were Liars 16143347 A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.]]> 242 E. Lockhart 0385741278 Jenn 4
We Were Liars is a YA mystery involving a group of teenagers who vacation with their family on a private island during the summers. When summering on the island, one of the teenagers, Cadence, ends up with a brain injury as the result of a swimming accident when she’s 15. Two years later, she returns to the island to piece together what really happened.

It’s a family drama that also offers a surprisingly incisive look at the corrosive effect of wealth on familial relationships. Despite this being a YA novel, I think it handles the topic more effectively than many adult novels.

The construction of the story itself is very solid. I’ve read a lot of mysteries that rely on a lot of nonsensical things (people acting in completely irrational or outlandish ways, ridiculous plot twists, etc.) and this is not one of those books. From beginning to end, you can tell how carefully thought-out and plotted the book is.

That all said, while I felt the story was very well-constructed and a good mystery, but I’m a little on the fence on how much I actually enjoyed the process of reading it. The writing style made sense for the story being told, but didn’t really appeal to me. I also felt like the middle part of the book where Cadence (and therefore you as the reader) have no hint of what’s really going on drags on for a little too long.

If you like mysteries, I think this one is worth a read, though opinions tend to be mixed on this novel. It does make for good summer reading, since it’s an easy read that’s set on summers on a private beach.

Full Review: ]]> 3.66 2014 We Were Liars
author: E. Lockhart
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/15
date added: 2021/06/15
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

We Were Liars is a YA mystery involving a group of teenagers who vacation with their family on a private island during the summers. When summering on the island, one of the teenagers, Cadence, ends up with a brain injury as the result of a swimming accident when she’s 15. Two years later, she returns to the island to piece together what really happened.

It’s a family drama that also offers a surprisingly incisive look at the corrosive effect of wealth on familial relationships. Despite this being a YA novel, I think it handles the topic more effectively than many adult novels.

The construction of the story itself is very solid. I’ve read a lot of mysteries that rely on a lot of nonsensical things (people acting in completely irrational or outlandish ways, ridiculous plot twists, etc.) and this is not one of those books. From beginning to end, you can tell how carefully thought-out and plotted the book is.

That all said, while I felt the story was very well-constructed and a good mystery, but I’m a little on the fence on how much I actually enjoyed the process of reading it. The writing style made sense for the story being told, but didn’t really appeal to me. I also felt like the middle part of the book where Cadence (and therefore you as the reader) have no hint of what’s really going on drags on for a little too long.

If you like mysteries, I think this one is worth a read, though opinions tend to be mixed on this novel. It does make for good summer reading, since it’s an easy read that’s set on summers on a private beach.

Full Review:
]]> The Maidens 45300567
Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.]]> 337 Alex Michaelides 1250304458 Jenn 4
In The Maidens, Alex Michaelides is back with a new murder mystery (due to be published June 15 in the States), this time one involving a secret society based in Greek mythology at Cambridge.

In The Maidens, the secret society in question involves a group of well-connected young women who flock around their favorite professor � the handsome and possibly murderous Professor Fosca. The Maidens are named after Persephone, the goddess of death. In Greek, Persephone is referred to “Kore� which means “maiden�.

The writing in The Maidens is a step up from The Silent Patient and is definitely above average for the genre. I ended up reading this book straight through, and it went by quite quickly. Michaelides also evokes Greek mythology and literary references in the plotline in ways that are substantive and evocative.

In general, I thought the buildup of the story and the mystery was really enjoyable to read. I liked how fully formed the character of Mariana was. Michaelides also adds a variety of compelling mystery elements to the story, like the cryptic postcards each victim receives prior to their death.

There are so many things I liked about this book, that I almost feel bad saying that the main caveat about reading it is that the ending is just okay. I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but it certainly feels a little “meh�. I thought it was fine, though I don’t know that anyone will be particularly impressed by it.

Overall, I found The Maidens to be an inverse of The Silent Patient. With The Silent Patient, I thought the ending was fantastic, but the writing and narrative arcs left something to be desired. With the Maidens, I thought the writing and overall story arcs were much more solid, but the ending was just okay.

That said, I liked both of his books enough that I definitely plan on reading whatever Michaelides publishes next. Even with the lackluster ending and some loose threads, the Maidens is an enjoyable, thrilling and well-written read.

Full review: ]]> 3.61 2021 The Maidens
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/12
date added: 2021/06/13
shelves:
review:
Full review:

In The Maidens, Alex Michaelides is back with a new murder mystery (due to be published June 15 in the States), this time one involving a secret society based in Greek mythology at Cambridge.

In The Maidens, the secret society in question involves a group of well-connected young women who flock around their favorite professor � the handsome and possibly murderous Professor Fosca. The Maidens are named after Persephone, the goddess of death. In Greek, Persephone is referred to “Kore� which means “maiden�.

The writing in The Maidens is a step up from The Silent Patient and is definitely above average for the genre. I ended up reading this book straight through, and it went by quite quickly. Michaelides also evokes Greek mythology and literary references in the plotline in ways that are substantive and evocative.

In general, I thought the buildup of the story and the mystery was really enjoyable to read. I liked how fully formed the character of Mariana was. Michaelides also adds a variety of compelling mystery elements to the story, like the cryptic postcards each victim receives prior to their death.

There are so many things I liked about this book, that I almost feel bad saying that the main caveat about reading it is that the ending is just okay. I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but it certainly feels a little “meh�. I thought it was fine, though I don’t know that anyone will be particularly impressed by it.

Overall, I found The Maidens to be an inverse of The Silent Patient. With The Silent Patient, I thought the ending was fantastic, but the writing and narrative arcs left something to be desired. With the Maidens, I thought the writing and overall story arcs were much more solid, but the ending was just okay.

That said, I liked both of his books enough that I definitely plan on reading whatever Michaelides publishes next. Even with the lackluster ending and some loose threads, the Maidens is an enjoyable, thrilling and well-written read.

Full review:
]]> Malibu Rising 55404546 Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.]]> 369 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798657 Jenn 3
Continuing Reid’s trend of writing about famous, gorgeous people, Malibu Rising is about a set of famous, attractive siblings that throw the trendiest party of the year � where someone starts the fire that culminates in the Malibu fire of 1983.

I was intrigued by the whole Malibu fire angle of her story, though it (somewhat disappointingly) actually ends up being a much more minor part of the story than the prologue would suggest. I’ll give her props for a clever hook, though it felt a little like a bait-and-switch. Instead, the book is divided into two distinct halves, with the first half focused on the family history, stretching across many tumultuous years as they struggle along, and the second part takes place at the party.

Overall, Malibu Rising makes for an entertaining beachy read. Fast-paced and filled with drama, the story will easily keep your attention. Some parts felt a little extraneous to me, but overall it’s a perfectly suitable book for those sunny beach days with a Tequila Sunrise in hand.

It doesn’t quite have the substance or depth that I typically look for in a good book club read, but I would absolutely recommend it as a quick summer page-turner if you’re looking for those fun, beachy summer vibes.

Full review: ]]> 4.02 2021 Malibu Rising
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/11
date added: 2021/06/11
shelves:
review:
Full review:

Continuing Reid’s trend of writing about famous, gorgeous people, Malibu Rising is about a set of famous, attractive siblings that throw the trendiest party of the year � where someone starts the fire that culminates in the Malibu fire of 1983.

I was intrigued by the whole Malibu fire angle of her story, though it (somewhat disappointingly) actually ends up being a much more minor part of the story than the prologue would suggest. I’ll give her props for a clever hook, though it felt a little like a bait-and-switch. Instead, the book is divided into two distinct halves, with the first half focused on the family history, stretching across many tumultuous years as they struggle along, and the second part takes place at the party.

Overall, Malibu Rising makes for an entertaining beachy read. Fast-paced and filled with drama, the story will easily keep your attention. Some parts felt a little extraneous to me, but overall it’s a perfectly suitable book for those sunny beach days with a Tequila Sunrise in hand.

It doesn’t quite have the substance or depth that I typically look for in a good book club read, but I would absolutely recommend it as a quick summer page-turner if you’re looking for those fun, beachy summer vibes.

Full review:
]]> Project Hail Mary 54493401
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He ł¦˛ą˛Ô’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?]]> 476 Andy Weir 0593135202 Jenn 4
In Project Hail Mary, Weir is back writing about what he's good at: a dude in space doing science-y stuff.

More specifically, Project Hail Mary is a story about scientific research, evolution and interstellar exploration. The narrative involves a backstory about an astronomical anomaly that's been observed and the (apocalyptic) fallout from it. Weir does a fantastic job of explaining this all in a way that includes a full explanation of the science behind it while still making it very accessible and narratively interesting. This book is so impressive in that respect.

Chances are, if you read this book, you’re going to learn quite a few fun science facts! Here’s a good litmus test for whether or not you are a good reader for this book: If you read that sentence and thought, oh cool, science facts! You are a good reader for this book, and I bet you’ll love it. If you read the first sentence in this paragraph and thought, ugh, bleh, science. You are a bad reader for this book, and you will probably DNF it.

It’s very ambitious in terms of what it’s trying to cover, and the science and technology aspect of it are so carefully and deliberately thought out. Weir’s use of actual science as a foundation for his science fiction is a particular strength of his, and it’s an understatement to say that it’s on full display in Project Hail Mary.

In terms of some general descriptors of the writing, the book progresses forward at a moderately rapid clip. The writing is what you’d expect from someone who’s more of a science guy than a writer in a literary sense, but it’s serviceable. It helps a lot that the narration and dialogue is often genuinely funny, which helps to smooth out most of the edges.

Overall, I thought Project Hail Mary was very good. If you like science at all, read it! If not, I’m sure it’ll become a super flashy movie at some point, so you can watch it then. Yay, space!

One caveat --

At one point there is a mention of the lack of women in STEM and the need to allow less qualified women in their selection criteria. Then, Weir has a character say that the way to change things is to “encourage your female students to get into STEM�.

I discuss this further in the full review, but basically I don’t understand why Weir felt the need to include a sexist character without having another character provide a counterargument.

Overall, a 4.5 star-book, which I would have rounded up to 5 stars, but I'm giving it 4 stars because of a tiny bit of sexism.

Full review: ]]> 4.49 2021 Project Hail Mary
author: Andy Weir
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/06/09
shelves:
review:
Full review:

In Project Hail Mary, Weir is back writing about what he's good at: a dude in space doing science-y stuff.

More specifically, Project Hail Mary is a story about scientific research, evolution and interstellar exploration. The narrative involves a backstory about an astronomical anomaly that's been observed and the (apocalyptic) fallout from it. Weir does a fantastic job of explaining this all in a way that includes a full explanation of the science behind it while still making it very accessible and narratively interesting. This book is so impressive in that respect.

Chances are, if you read this book, you’re going to learn quite a few fun science facts! Here’s a good litmus test for whether or not you are a good reader for this book: If you read that sentence and thought, oh cool, science facts! You are a good reader for this book, and I bet you’ll love it. If you read the first sentence in this paragraph and thought, ugh, bleh, science. You are a bad reader for this book, and you will probably DNF it.

It’s very ambitious in terms of what it’s trying to cover, and the science and technology aspect of it are so carefully and deliberately thought out. Weir’s use of actual science as a foundation for his science fiction is a particular strength of his, and it’s an understatement to say that it’s on full display in Project Hail Mary.

In terms of some general descriptors of the writing, the book progresses forward at a moderately rapid clip. The writing is what you’d expect from someone who’s more of a science guy than a writer in a literary sense, but it’s serviceable. It helps a lot that the narration and dialogue is often genuinely funny, which helps to smooth out most of the edges.

Overall, I thought Project Hail Mary was very good. If you like science at all, read it! If not, I’m sure it’ll become a super flashy movie at some point, so you can watch it then. Yay, space!

One caveat --

At one point there is a mention of the lack of women in STEM and the need to allow less qualified women in their selection criteria. Then, Weir has a character say that the way to change things is to “encourage your female students to get into STEM�.

I discuss this further in the full review, but basically I don’t understand why Weir felt the need to include a sexist character without having another character provide a counterargument.

Overall, a 4.5 star-book, which I would have rounded up to 5 stars, but I'm giving it 4 stars because of a tiny bit of sexism.

Full review:
]]> The Comfort Book 55506579 A manual of reflections for an increasingly stressful world

Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up.

The Comfort Book is a collection of little islands of hope, a gathering of consolations and stories that give us new ways of seeing ourselves and the world. 

Matt Haig’s mix of philosophy, memoir and self-reflection builds on the wisdom of philosophers and survivors through the ages, from Marcus Aurelius to Nellie Bly, from Emily Dickinson to James Baldwin. 

This is the book to pick up when you need the wisdom of a friend or the comfort of a hug, or just want to celebrate the messy miracle of being alive.

Ěý±Ő±Ő> 266 Matt Haig 1443464783 Jenn 0 to-read 3.96 2021 The Comfort Book
author: Matt Haig
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/05/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Song of Achilles 11250317
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.]]> 352 Madeline Miller 1408816032 Jenn 4
Even though I didn’t fall in love with this book the same way I did with Circe, I would still heartily recommend it to people who love mythological retellings, to Madeline Miller fans and to lovers of the classics.

The Song of Achilles is essentially a love story about two childhood friends, one of whom is prophesized to become the greatest warrior of his generation. Historically, Achilles and Patroclus have been described as lovers by many classic Greek writers (though not Homer), and Miller takes this idea and runs with it in The Song of Achilles.

The love story between the two is sweet and affecting, serving as the emotional and narrative core of the book. I didn’t find this story to be as layered or powerful as the one in Circe, but it’s given a satisfying narrative arc that I enjoyed nonetheless. Miller offers an incisive and apt transformation of Achilles the mythological legend into a character with a clear personality and human failings.

It makes for a riveting recounting of the Trojan War, a story that comes alive especially as the book hits its stride when the characters are embroiled in the war.

Full Review: ]]> 4.38 2011 The Song of Achilles
author: Madeline Miller
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/19
date added: 2021/05/19
shelves:
review:
Full Review:

Even though I didn’t fall in love with this book the same way I did with Circe, I would still heartily recommend it to people who love mythological retellings, to Madeline Miller fans and to lovers of the classics.

The Song of Achilles is essentially a love story about two childhood friends, one of whom is prophesized to become the greatest warrior of his generation. Historically, Achilles and Patroclus have been described as lovers by many classic Greek writers (though not Homer), and Miller takes this idea and runs with it in The Song of Achilles.

The love story between the two is sweet and affecting, serving as the emotional and narrative core of the book. I didn’t find this story to be as layered or powerful as the one in Circe, but it’s given a satisfying narrative arc that I enjoyed nonetheless. Miller offers an incisive and apt transformation of Achilles the mythological legend into a character with a clear personality and human failings.

It makes for a riveting recounting of the Trojan War, a story that comes alive especially as the book hits its stride when the characters are embroiled in the war.

Full Review:
]]> <![CDATA[Don Quijote de la Mancha I + CD (Leer en Espanol: Level 3) (Spanish Edition)]]> 12994173 112 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 8493477265 Jenn 0 3.50 1605 Don Quijote de la Mancha I + CD (Leer en Espanol: Level 3) (Spanish Edition)
author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1605
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/05/13
shelves:
review:

]]> The Last Thing He Told Me 54981009
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a U.S. marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.]]> 307 Laura Dave 1501171348 Jenn 4
The Last Thing He Told Me is an up-tempo page-turner that’s an easy quick read with some elements of a family drama dealing with self-sacrifice and the relationship between a stepmother, Hannah, and her stepdaughter, Bailey. I feel like stepmothers in books are often not at the forefront or are bad, so it with nice to see a positive stepmother-stepdaughter relationship for a change.

In The Last Thing He Told Me, Hannah’s husband Owen (Bailey’s father) goes missing, and the investigation into his disappearance leads into a web of unanswered questions and reveals secrets about his past.

The book is described as a mystery, but I think it’s more of a thriller, since it’s not really planting clues for you to figure out. Instead, you’re following along as the suspense in the novel plays out.

That said, the thriller aspects of The Last Thing He Told Me are really well done. It’s paced perfectly, offering up just enough suspense and information at the right times to for really satisfying build ups of tension and resolution. It never drags, since you’re continually finding out new things and having other questions build up. And the book is plotted carefully, with everything fitting together neatly and with just enough complications to keep you on your toes.

The family drama aspects of it felt a little overly neat and generic to me, but I imagine some will feel differently. The protagonist is essentially a perfect, self-sacrificing stepmother and while perfect characters are easy to root for, it also means there’s no room for the character to grow.

Overall, I think most people will like it, and I was very pleased with the tidy and satisfying plotting of the story. I’m not sure there’s quite enough substance there for this to be a great book club pick. Instead, I’d recommend this as a solo read if you’re looking for something engaging to try to kill some time.

Full review: ]]> 3.78 2021 The Last Thing He Told Me
author: Laura Dave
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/13
date added: 2021/05/13
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The Last Thing He Told Me is an up-tempo page-turner that’s an easy quick read with some elements of a family drama dealing with self-sacrifice and the relationship between a stepmother, Hannah, and her stepdaughter, Bailey. I feel like stepmothers in books are often not at the forefront or are bad, so it with nice to see a positive stepmother-stepdaughter relationship for a change.

In The Last Thing He Told Me, Hannah’s husband Owen (Bailey’s father) goes missing, and the investigation into his disappearance leads into a web of unanswered questions and reveals secrets about his past.

The book is described as a mystery, but I think it’s more of a thriller, since it’s not really planting clues for you to figure out. Instead, you’re following along as the suspense in the novel plays out.

That said, the thriller aspects of The Last Thing He Told Me are really well done. It’s paced perfectly, offering up just enough suspense and information at the right times to for really satisfying build ups of tension and resolution. It never drags, since you’re continually finding out new things and having other questions build up. And the book is plotted carefully, with everything fitting together neatly and with just enough complications to keep you on your toes.

The family drama aspects of it felt a little overly neat and generic to me, but I imagine some will feel differently. The protagonist is essentially a perfect, self-sacrificing stepmother and while perfect characters are easy to root for, it also means there’s no room for the character to grow.

Overall, I think most people will like it, and I was very pleased with the tidy and satisfying plotting of the story. I’m not sure there’s quite enough substance there for this to be a great book club pick. Instead, I’d recommend this as a solo read if you’re looking for something engaging to try to kill some time.

Full review:
]]> The Good Sister 53137974 An alternate cover edition of ASIN B08BYCWK6T can be found here.

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.]]> 309 Sally Hepworth 1250120950 Jenn 4
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is a family drama slash mystery novel that’s narrated from the point of view of two twin sisters, Rose and Fern Castle, who were raised by an unstable mother. When the book opens, they are both adults in their late twenties, and Rose is having difficulty conceiving a child. Meanwhile, Fern, who is on the spectrum, has recently met a new man.

The Good Sister is a moderately-paced, easy read that was a pleasant surprise for me. In my view, the thing that makes The Good Sister stand out from most mystery-thrillers is that the story at the heart of it feels like a legitimate narrative separate from the mystery aspects of the novel. There’s an actual story arc that makes sense and feels satisfying, and it’s done in a way that’s fun to read.

As a point of criticism, however, I think there’s a slight misalignment in some parts of the novel where you’re too aware of certain plot “reveals�, long before the characters in the book have sorted it out. When it comes to mystery novels, I prefer to be surprised by or to find stuff out roughly the same time as the characters � as opposed to knowing things and then sitting around waiting for the plot and the characters to catch up to you.

Overall, though I liked this quite a bit, and I think it's likely that I’ll be revisiting Hepworth’s writing in the future. I’d recommend this book to mystery-thriller fans who also enjoy reading family dramas.

Full review: ]]> 4.11 2020 The Good Sister
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/29
date added: 2021/05/03
shelves:
review:
Full review:

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is a family drama slash mystery novel that’s narrated from the point of view of two twin sisters, Rose and Fern Castle, who were raised by an unstable mother. When the book opens, they are both adults in their late twenties, and Rose is having difficulty conceiving a child. Meanwhile, Fern, who is on the spectrum, has recently met a new man.

The Good Sister is a moderately-paced, easy read that was a pleasant surprise for me. In my view, the thing that makes The Good Sister stand out from most mystery-thrillers is that the story at the heart of it feels like a legitimate narrative separate from the mystery aspects of the novel. There’s an actual story arc that makes sense and feels satisfying, and it’s done in a way that’s fun to read.

As a point of criticism, however, I think there’s a slight misalignment in some parts of the novel where you’re too aware of certain plot “reveals�, long before the characters in the book have sorted it out. When it comes to mystery novels, I prefer to be surprised by or to find stuff out roughly the same time as the characters � as opposed to knowing things and then sitting around waiting for the plot and the characters to catch up to you.

Overall, though I liked this quite a bit, and I think it's likely that I’ll be revisiting Hepworth’s writing in the future. I’d recommend this book to mystery-thriller fans who also enjoy reading family dramas.

Full review:
]]> Nightbitch 55835474
At home full-time with her two-year-old son, an artist finds she is struggling. She is lonely and exhausted. She had imagined - what was it she had imagined? Her husband, always travelling for his work, calls her from faraway hotel rooms. One more toddler bedtime, and she fears she might lose her mind.

Instead, quite suddenly, she starts gaining things, surprising things that happen one night when her child will not sleep. Sharper canines. Strange new patches of hair. New appetites, new instincts. And from deep within herself, a new voice...

With its clear eyes on contemporary womanhood and sharp take on structures of power, Nightbitch is an outrageously original, joyfully subversive read that will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition. Addictive enough to be devoured in one sitting, this is an unforgettable novel from a blazing new talent.]]> 256 Rachel Yoder 0385546815 Jenn 0 to-read 3.47 2021 Nightbitch
author: Rachel Yoder
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>